Impars Project
Coordinator: Núria Garí
Interview
Text: Marcos Doespiritusanto
Photos: Albert Gordillo and Roger Alemany
When did you make the jump from illustration and painting to large-format murals?
I started doing paintings that sparked a certain amount of interest among galleries like Thinkspace in Los Angeles, which has really supported me. They begin promoting my work, and one day I decided to paint a small wall. The people at the gallery soon encouraged me to paint even larger murals. It was all fairly simple, because I’d spent years doing large-format paintings at Castells Planas. The difference is that, with murals, you work vertically, and I choose the design. That’s the big difference.
Which format do you feel most comfortable with?
It depends. I think all of us have different facets in which feel or don’t feel comfortable. It depends a bit on the project. In the studio, while I’m painting, though I’m calm and collected, I’m also alone. With murals, on the other hand, there’s a risk factor: you’re out in the open, and there are lots of things that can go wrong. But it’s also more social, and I really enjoy it.
Your work is highly complex and plays with aspects such as geometry, perspective and weightlessness… Would you consider the lack of a defined viewing angle one of your work’s defining features?
That’s partly in keeping with my approach to life, because I don’t think we can look at the world from one point of view, despite what we might think. It’s impossible. Everyone has their own view on the world, and my work is my way of expressing this idea: it’s impossible to view something from every perspective at the same time. There’s always a choice, a perception. In my work there also lies a desire to take things out of context, releasing them into the air and, by doing so, giving them new value.
What role does architecture play in your work?
Architectural representation comes from my time at the set design workshop, because all of the backdrops depicted spaces. In the theatre, the main characters are the actors. Therefore, the murals are either of scenes of nature or architectural spaces. I learned a lot by studying the surroundings, and my focus naturally switched from people to spaces.
You currently work as a freelancer, taking on commissions from customers all over the world. How do you reconcile your desire to experiment with these kinds of jobs?
I’m no longer accepting commissions due to the high demands of the galleries, which actually give me more freedom. When it comes to pictorial work, I therefore have complete freedom to paint whatever I like. With murals, on the other hand, I do work by commission. I’m given a wall and usually have quite a bit of freedom to do whatever I see fit. Sometimes I’m given guidelines and sometimes I impose them on myself, because, the way I see it, each mural has a context, and I can’t simply do whatever I want. But I don’t think that limits my creativity.
What value do you think murals are gaining as a source of artistic expression in urban settings?
The great thing is that is a very democratic form of artistic expression, which everyone can enjoy. I think it’s wonderful. This then leads into how festivals are organised, whether the artists should be paid or not. I feel they should. I also think that mural art should have some kind of relation with the site. There are artists who feel this isn’t important, and I respect that, but that’s not my idea of muralism.
Is working as a freelance artist difficult in today’s day and age?
In my case, life was rougher when I worked in the set design workshop. Much rougher. By working for myself, I can decide in my own time, without feeling rushed, which projects I want to commit to, and at the minute I’m very happy.
Which project are you most proud of?
Perhaps the mural I did in 2017 from the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii, one of the largest I’ve done to date. It’s an art museum, which makes it quite a big deal. The first step was to contextualise the mural, to look at all the elements inside the museum and show them off. Today, the museum uses it on the tours they give to children. They ask the kids: What is this? What culture does it belong to? And then they go into the hall on the other side of the wall and see the real piece of art. I love knowing that my mural works as a teaching tool.
What have you based the mural you’re doing for UIC Barcelona on?
Personally, I don’t think painting a mural on a wall in a city street is the same as painting one in such a lauded institution as a university, which deserves a great deal of respect, and it’s therefore a big challenge for me and something I’m very much looking forward to.
What does it mean to you to work for a university?
I was very much inspired by the idea that UIC Barcelona places people at the centre. People at the university have an immense cultural value. Therefore, the mural features people playing with elements that recall the various academic disciplines. To symbolise the Humanities, for instance, I used a Greek temple, the origin of the concept of society as we know it today. Here books have a place of prominence. I also included computers to make it a bit more modern, as well as elements that represent the concept of laboratory, the study of Law, Architecture… I tried to mix all these elements and make them pop out of the sketch. I’m really excited about it.
If you had to define yourself, what five words would you use?
I don’t like defining myself as an artist. That word seems a bit too grandiose. I’m easy-going and inquisitive, and also passionate and meticulous. I’m an artisan.
When did you make the jump from illustration and painting to large-format murals?
I started doing paintings that sparked a certain amount of interest among galleries like Thinkspace in Los Angeles, which has really supported me. They begin promoting my work, and one day I decided to paint a small wall. The people at the gallery soon encouraged me to paint even larger murals. It was all fairly simple, because I’d spent years doing large-format paintings at Castells Planas. The difference is that, with murals, you work vertically, and I choose the design. That’s the big difference.
Which format do you feel most comfortable with?
It depends. I think all of us have different facets in which feel or don’t feel comfortable. It depends a bit on the project. In the studio, while I’m painting, though I’m calm and collected, I’m also alone. With murals, on the other hand, there’s a risk factor: you’re out in the open, and there are lots of things that can go wrong. But it’s also more social, and I really enjoy it.
Your work is highly complex and plays with aspects such as geometry, perspective and weightlessness… Would you consider the lack of a defined viewing angle one of your work’s defining features?
That’s partly in keeping with my approach to life, because I don’t think we can look at the world from one point of view, despite what we might think. It’s impossible. Everyone has their own view on the world, and my work is my way of expressing this idea: it’s impossible to view something from every perspective at the same time. There’s always a choice, a perception. In my work there also lies a desire to take things out of context, releasing them into the air and, by doing so, giving them new value.
What role does architecture play in your work?
Architectural representation comes from my time at the set design workshop, because all of the backdrops depicted spaces. In the theatre, the main characters are the actors. Therefore, the murals are either of scenes of nature or architectural spaces. I learned a lot by studying the surroundings, and my focus naturally switched from people to spaces.
You currently work as a freelancer, taking on commissions from customers all over the world. How do you reconcile your desire to experiment with these kinds of jobs?
I’m no longer accepting commissions due to the high demands of the galleries, which actually give me more freedom. When it comes to pictorial work, I therefore have complete freedom to paint whatever I like. With murals, on the other hand, I do work by commission. I’m given a wall and usually have quite a bit of freedom to do whatever I see fit. Sometimes I’m given guidelines and sometimes I impose them on myself, because, the way I see it, each mural has a context, and I can’t simply do whatever I want. But I don’t think that limits my creativity.
What value do you think murals are gaining as a source of artistic expression in urban settings?
The great thing is that is a very democratic form of artistic expression, which everyone can enjoy. I think it’s wonderful. This then leads into how festivals are organised, whether the artists should be paid or not. I feel they should. I also think that mural art should have some kind of relation with the site. There are artists who feel this isn’t important, and I respect that, but that’s not my idea of muralism.
Is working as a freelance artist difficult in today’s day and age?
In my case, life was rougher when I worked in the set design workshop. Much rougher. By working for myself, I can decide in my own time, without feeling rushed, which projects I want to commit to, and at the minute I’m very happy.
Which project are you most proud of?
Perhaps the mural I did in 2017 from the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii, one of the largest I’ve done to date. It’s an art museum, which makes it quite a big deal. The first step was to contextualise the mural, to look at all the elements inside the museum and show them off. Today, the museum uses it on the tours they give to children. They ask the kids: What is this? What culture does it belong to? And then they go into the hall on the other side of the wall and see the real piece of art. I love knowing that my mural works as a teaching tool.
What have you based the mural you’re doing for UIC Barcelona on?
Personally, I don’t think painting a mural on a wall in a city street is the same as painting one in such a lauded institution as a university, which deserves a great deal of respect, and it’s therefore a big challenge for me and something I’m very much looking forward to.
What does it mean to you to work for a university?
I was very much inspired by the idea that UIC Barcelona places people at the centre. People at the university have an immense cultural value. Therefore, the mural features people playing with elements that recall the various academic disciplines. To symbolise the Humanities, for instance, I used a Greek temple, the origin of the concept of society as we know it today. Here books have a place of prominence. I also included computers to make it a bit more modern, as well as elements that represent the concept of laboratory, the study of Law, Architecture… I tried to mix all these elements and make them pop out of the sketch. I’m really excited about it.
If you had to define yourself, what five words would you use?
I don’t like defining myself as an artist. That word seems a bit too grandiose. I’m easy-going and inquisitive, and also passionate and meticulous. I’m an artisan.
