Concerned about the over-consumption of products and heavy use of habits, three artists created a mixed-media piece to show the world just how much we consume.

The artist group, known as Tripa Colectivo, was co-founded in November 2007 by Joevanny Duran and Abraham Velazquez. Velazquez was given a month to display his work at the Chicago Art Department after he became a resident last year. The two brought Mike Wilgus into the group for the start of their current show, “Evita El Exceso” (Avoid the Excess).

The show is a collection of art that points out how people overuse and consume things on a daily basis. One of these pieces is a mixed-media work titled “Suena Buey” (Dream on Dude).

The group wheatpasted the background of this piece onto the six wood panels a week before they hung them on the gallery wall, allowing them to dry. They began painting and wheatpasted larger graphics and icons on Feb. 28 shortly before the show’s debut. Duran said the larger work was done that weekend and smaller details were left to the beginning of the week. The piece was officially completed on March 5 around midnight and presented to the public on March 7 at the Chicago Art Department.

The piece has a wide color palette. The right side of it features a wrestler holding an ice cream cone in one hand while a rooster sits in the palm of the other. Opposite to him is a drawn image of a woman’s face with a tear running down her cheek. “Suena” (dream) is written on the top middle of the piece while “buey” (dude) sits below it,  and all  the while corporate logos

Duran said the excessive amount of logos represent how people consume a lot of products, and he hopes that it will make people think about how much they’re using.

Duran expressed excess in the piece by purposely leaving several paint drips on the surface to demonstrate how easy it was to waste paint.

The motivation behind their project, Duran said, was to grab people’s attention and to “create chaos.”

“We just wanted to have something that would pop but at the same time make you think, ‘No seriously, how many things do we do, say and use in an [excessive] way?'” Duran said.

Duran said that “Buey” is Spanish for “dude.” However, if it’s spelled “Guey” it represents a male with no testicles because Oxen who are used for work have their’s removed.

Duran said that the word has become so overused that it has lost much of its once offensiveness.

“You react naturally to it in Mexico,” Duran said. “It’s a word that you tend to normally overuse.”

Tony Staglino, 35,  saw the piece on March 13, and said it looks like street art and that by bringing it into a gallery, it makes the gallery a more open minded place.

Duran and Wilgus are Columbia alumni and Velazquez will graduate in May of 2009.

The group streamed the process live on the Internet. Their plan for the future is to release a two-to-three minute video of the entire process sped up.

“Evita el Exceso” can be seen at the Chicago Art Department, 1837 S. Halsted St. Videos and other information about the artist trio can be found on MyTripa.com.