Meet Disem, the man who shows his skills across the walls of the 305.
IG: @disem305
How’d you get into the art world?
My mother and father met at an art school, so I’ve pretty much been around art my whole life. I started painting walls at around the age of 10, my first portrait on a wall was four years ago.
That’s awesome. Do you have a favorite medium of art?
I like experimenting with all mediums, but I’m mostly known for my murals which are all spray paint on walls.
Your murals are unreal. Especially the HEAT ones! How long have you been a HEAT fan?
I’ve been a HEAT fan for as long as I can remember. I was friends with Ron Culp’s daughter growing up and I remember having a conversation with him about this young player we picked up. He was really excited about the guy, and this was the first time I heard about Dwyane Wade. As the years went on, I couldn’t help but become a fan of Wade. He played with his heart and did whatever it took for the team. After years of hard work for our city on and off the court, I felt it was only right to give back to him and paint the mural in his honor.
How long did it take?
It took me maybe around a total of 20 hours of work.
Tell us about the UD mural?
I wanted to pay tribute to the guys who made it great to be a HEAT fan. As soon as I finished the Wade mural, I knew I wanted to paint one of UD. He's the heart of the team, the enforcer, and he's born and raised in Dade County. It wasn't just to pay respects to him as a player, but as a human who has shown what hard work, dedication, and consistency with good intentions will do for a team and a community. UD is the type of role model our future generation needs.
How did you choose the image you wanted to paint of him?
I chose to paint shows his blood, sweat, and tears image. The image embodies a moment of glory. UD helped win us a Championship, not once, but three times.
How cool was it for you to see UD engaging with it and enjoying it?
It was amazing! As an artist, it's always a bit nerve-racking when the subject of a portrait sees the painting at first. From the moment I posted it on Instagram, I got nothing but great feedback from him.
It's a bit personal, but as I finished that mural, I was rushed to the ER because I was in crazy pain while painting. I refused to go to the hospital until I finished it. The following day, I was rushed into surgery and diagnosed with cancer. It sounds crazy, but the positive feedback from the mural was a light during a very dark time for me. The love and appreciation coming from both UD and the Miami HEAT was truly appreciated.
Wow, you’re an absolute rockstar. How are you doing now?
Thank you! I beat cancer and am in great health and back to working a whole lot more than before. It's weird how art imitates life sometimes. What I was trying to portray in the mural about hard work, blood, sweat, and tears immediately reflected and applied to what I had to go through. I hope the piece inspires, motivates, and highlights how important work ethic and dedication are towards being successful. UD is a great example of this.
