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Meet the artist Born in 1957 in Lleida, Spain, Juan Manuel Pajares is a self-taught artist who challenges us with his captivating brushstrokes and unique vision by leading a rebellion of signs and questioning their usual interpretations. New York’s vibrant pulse It was on the streets of New York that the captivating artistic journey of Juan Manuel Pajares began. Since his inaugural showcase in Soho back in 2000, his unique style captured the city's essence, echoing its lively spirit and colorful graffiti. "Practicing the art of cut-up and montage, Pajares is not strictly speaking a painter. A self-taught artist, as much a poet and stroller as a sociologist, each of his paintings is similar to the cinematographic experiments of a Guy Debord or a Godard." Roland Barthes, Art Critic, Christies, 2007 Transforming Everyday Pajares turns ordinary images, symbols and icons into captivating art, inviting viewers to ponder their deeper meanings. Over two decades, his style has evolved, becoming more abstract and resonating with people everywhere. Fresh Perspectives Through his art, Pajares challenges us to see the world differently, sparking conversations about how visuals shape our understanding. Staying true to his passion, he creates art for galleries and collectors from France to Los Angeles, inspiring us all to embrace creativity and exploration. I never know how I am going to finish the painting, I improvise. I always look for shapes, textures, characters and how they interconnect with each other, working with layers and brushes. Interview See the interview by Europa Press TV Madrid #streetart #painting #urbanart #art #graffiti #pajares #art #spain

Interview Born in 1986, Catalan artist Bernat Barris makes ordinary places special, sprinkles in some beauty. He also points out the little details hidden in places we usually ignore on the edges of the city. What drew you to explore non-places* in your art, and how do they become the focal point of your Rodalies Nord series? I've always been fascinated by those spaces of circulation, transit, and anonymity we just pass through without really noticing. Marc Augé calls them 'non-places' because they're not about history or personal stories. In my Rodalies Nord series, I wanted to show the hidden beauty of these everyday non-places. I see them as blank canvases that reflect all the changes happening around us in the city. How does your artistic vision transform seemingly mundane non-places into aesthetically rich scenes, and what effects do you hope to generate through your brushwork and design? The 19th-century romantic landscape painters really captivated me. When I'm painting, I try to make ordinary places special, sprinkle in some beauty. Even if they seem abandoned, I leave traces of constant movement. I aim to capture the essence of these non-places inhabited by solitude and shaped by the transition from use to disuse. I like exploring the tensions between beauty and ugliness, tradition and modernity. Your Rodalies Nord series delves into the periphery and suburbs. What inspired you to find beauty in these seemingly unattractive spaces, and how do they challenge traditional perceptions of the city? I get inspired by the outskirts and suburbs. There's this richness and contrast in these places that people usually ignore. Even though they're important for getting around, these non-places make you rethink what you know about the city and make you notice the little details in these empty spaces. Your Granollers series explores your connection to Granollers. Can you share more about how your personal experiences and emotions mix with your artistic exploration of this city? Granollers is more than just my hometown; it's an emotional anchor for me. In my art, I try to capture the joy in these forgotten landscapes and convey the importance and beauty in them through my gaze. I see the city like a big picture I'm painting, telling my own story through art pieces. Could you give us a glimpse into your journey as an artist? What led you to prioritize your artistic career, and how do you balance your passion for painting with your role as a teacher? I discovered my love for art early on and graduated in Fine Arts in 2009. I started focusing more on my art in 2015, joining an art residency in Barcelona Academy of Art. Now, besides painting, I’m a plein-air landscape teacher in Barcelona Academy of Arts and the traditional drawing teacher in the Animation and VFX degree in La Salle University. I try to keep teaching because it makes me aware of my process as a painter. The same I teach them with, I can apply to myself. Conversation inspired by the insights of Sergio Fuentes Milà, Dra Roser Masip Boladeras, David Sánchez Rueda. * Ref.: Marc Augé , Non lieux. Introduction à une anthropologie de la surmodernité, 1992) #bernatbarris #painting #cityscapes #art #granollers #landscapepainting #art #catalunya

Born in Miami in 1954, Davis Dutreix is a pivotal figure in 90s French underground art and squart culture. With the tradition of symbolic art and with a vivid palette, he prompts reflection on the human experience. Embarking on a Spiritual Odyssey In the vivid tapestry of life, one often stumbles upon profound moments that lead to a transformative quest. At the tender age of 17, Pierre Davis Dutreix encountered such a pivotal moment when he survived a harrowing car accident, setting the stage for a lifelong exploration of spirituality. It was during this period that he serendipitously uncovered the profound teachings of Zen Buddhism, a guiding light that would remain steadfast throughout his artistic odyssey. The 1970s found him amidst the bustling streets of New York, where his artistic education intersected with the formation of his potent political consciousness. A remarkable initiatory sojourn to South America in the 1980s marked a pivotal chapter, as it was here that Davis Dutreix commenced drawing alongside creatives challenging a repressive dictatorship. This marked the inception of his artistic journey that would resonate with defiance and innovation. Life in the Squarts The 1990s saw Davis Dutreix immerse himself in the realm of radical artistry and collages, an era characterized by his serendipitous encounters within the Parisian squats, affectionately referred to as "squarts" – a portmanteau of "squat" and "art." It was during this time and amidst this creative tapestry that he embarked on his own artistic foray, experimenting with the vibrant medium of painting. Collaborations with fellow avant-garde artists eventually led to the establishment of the groundbreaking ‘Zen Copyright’ gallery, carried out in tandem with Eduardo, a Parisian performer, and SP38, a renowned international figure in street art. This momentous juncture marked the birth of the 'Zen Copyright' collective, a force that actively engaged in the socio-political events of its time. With exhibitions that popped up in the streets, at events, or within the concert halls hosting luminaries like Rita Mitsouko, Brigitte Fontaine, and Nonnes Troppo, Davis- Dutreix and the collective left an indelible imprint on the urban landscape. It was during this chapter that he forged a profound connection with Le Bateleur, a kindred spirit who tragically passed away in 1995. Simultaneously, the inception of a new collective, 'La Grange aux Belles,' heralded a period of fervent creativity. Their Squart, became a hub for organizing events for the common good, a sanctuary before their eventual eviction in 2000. Awakening the Senses: A Manifesto for Art Art should not be passive, intellectual or elitist, it must awaken in the viewer a feeling that makes them think about the human condition. Davis Dutreix was resolute in his belief that art should never be a passive or elitist endeavor, nor merely an intellectual pursuit. Instead, he championed a philosophy that called for art to stir profound emotions within the observer, provoking contemplation of the human condition. In this vision, art was a catalyst for transformation, an embodiment of activism and introspection. Time of Maturity Davis-Dutreix briefly returned to New York, where he opened the 'off gallery' then settled in Nice, in a workshop/squat 'les devils bleus' from 2000 to 2004, the date of the expulsion. In 2004, he opened a new squart in Nice, in the old town: le Pigeonnier. He finally finds the time to settle down and unfold on canvas. Each work is like a part of the world imagined and sketched during all the preceding years, we find there all the power of Davis-Dutreix colors and the richness of the symbolic vocabulary. Text written with the collaboration of Atelier Franck Michel, Nice #underground #streetart #politicalart #symbolicart #symbolism #apocalypse #art

Born in 1957, Portuguese artist José Pedro Croft enjoys experimenting with materials, colours, structures and their relationship to space. Playing with open and closed spaces, stable and unstable balances, his works 'reflect the transitory nature of the universe'. Croft's explorations Known in the international art scene and for having participated in the renewal of Portuguese sculptures, José Pedro Croft loves superposition and juxtaposition. He confronts empty and full spaces and associates colours with abstract lines. Red geometric forms or black structures can represent simple and sometimes incomplete masses. The geometric rigour is revealed through a succession of incisions, scratches and erasures. Through a 3-dimensional effect, he is questioning the density of the materials, their weight or lightness. Also, his designs constantly question the object-space relationship and force us to reconsider the limit of that space. Is there a limit? Croft's words The things don't have just one position in a way that something is a closed object that stands behind/in front of you, it is more a field of energies that you confront yourself. If you get distance, approach very closely, every time you see different things and you have different perceptions. See complete interview Croft's triumph Considered one of the most representative figures of the international art scene, José Pedro Croft's work can be found in international collections and museums in France, Portugal, Brazil and Spain. #abstractart #art

Inspired by Jackson Pollock, Gerard Richter, Andy Warhol or even Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ora creates a universe between abstract art, pop and street art. New York Experience Ora is a French artist born in 1989 in Avignon. From an early age, she draws and graffities in the streets of her city. Passionate about the discovery of new cultures, she travels the globe and settles in New York. Her "underground" studio is then in Soho where she paints but also signs her first line of apparel. Icons From Brigitte Bardot to Kate Moss and with a nod to Madonna... Today, Ora uses portraits of female icons among others, which reflect symbols of strength and beauty with a touch of indiscipline due to its bright and irregular colors. Ora is wild and free, but her paintings also mention simplicity, audacity, openness and always love. #streetart #graffiti #ora #frenchartist In collaboration with La Quincaillerie d'Art.

Quatorze, artist from Marseille, born in 1986, draws and paints. He finds his inspiration from timeless, sometimes famous portraits and from multiple worlds of Pop Culture. From Marseille to Nice The adventure started in his studio, a small tree-lined house in the heart of Marseille where everyone can still visit and discover his new artworks. His most significant exhibition took place at "La Quincaillerie d'Art" in the port of Nice, where his paintings were exhibited and occupied the entire space. Playing with the light To interact with the light, Quatorze works mainly with black and white. Hence the complexity of his art in creating contrasts, shadows and reliefs. No digital media, stencils or others come between the artist and the material. The light appears, among other things, through its varnished finishes in matte, satin or glossy. Everyone can find themselves in Quatorze's timeless, famous portraits. In collaboration with La Quincaillerie d'Art. #popculture #art #quatorze #frenchartist

See artworks An elusive figure, both believer and anarchist, rebellious and uncompromising, refusing work but able to spend tens of hours creating a stencil, Le Bateleur created his myth in the Street Art movement. He takes his pseudonym from the character of Le Bateleur (The Magician) in the Divinatory Tarot: street man, artist and illusionist. A rebel is born Rêve, Révolu, Révolution (Dream, Lost, Revolution) Born in the Belleville-Ménilmontant district in 1961, Le Bateleur, whose real name is Pascal Vaillier, is a child of the street that he will never leave. From a family of 4 children, deprived of his mother at the age of 3, his education takes place in the street before being picked up by the social services around the age of 10, institutions in which he never finds his balance and which feed his rebellion. He gets his revenge in the art and the expression of his ideas, his revolts and his hatred of the political system in place. Street Art in Paris Street Art is a movement and an artistic expression that emerged in the 1960s in the United States. It is born from the conjunction of aesthetic movements and social contexts. In Street Art, different tools or techniques are used and that of Le Bateleur will be the stencil. He started by covering the walls, anxious above all to convey messages and then stick his stencils all over the street at the end of the 80s. As he does not know how to draw very well, he almost always works from a photo and features of the photocopiers of the time like a friend of his, Yarps, a stencil maker. With Yarps and other artists including Davis-Dutreix, he shares his commitments and his lifestyle within the collective La Zen Copyright. The collective brings together street painters without a fixed workshop, who work in several studio-galleries by illegally investing abandoned buildings, again and again, always the target of eviction orders. The Artist Le Bateleur is a street artist whose pictorial and political commitment are inseparable. He perfectly embodies the spirit of the 90s, which saw the emergence of squats. He is one of the purist artists who refuse to be taken over by galleries or publicists. A voice for the underdogs Le Bateleur has a collection of nearly 80 stencil models featuring characters as different as Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, Zapata, the Buddha, a little girl, an African dancer ... All carry a poetic message that translates well the ideas of the artist and his desire to raise the voice of those excluded from society. He died of AIDS in January 1996. Source: 'Paris pochoirs' de Samantha Longhi et Benoit Maître / Street Art Magazine #4: ‘Le Bateleur, fragments d’une légende’.

An unusual artist, painter, sculptor, photographer, lithographer... Born in Figueras in 1904 and deceased in the same town on January 23rd 1989. Between these two dates, the genius of port Lligat, atypical artist and typically Catalan, influenced the 20th century and leaves an indelible trace in the history of art and the heritage of humanity. Mainly known as a painter, although painting represents only 15% of his work, Dali is, most of all, a productive artist in constant creative effervescence and gives a soul to whatever passes in his hands or in his brain, such as the famous happening events for ever engraved in the collective memory. He nourishes all the courants, as well as the ones of fashion, advertisement and design. He is also writer, scenographer, film director, and the most expensive actor in the history of cinema. Dali and Photography One of his less known talents is photography. Dali realised before everybody else the timeless importance of the photographic art and its impact on future generations. From the 20's, he elaborates some postures in front of the camera of his contemporaries such as Man Ray & Halsmann… As time goes by, and with an auto-marketing strategy, he creates a character that sparks curiosity and, most of all, a keen interest of international journalists that immortalise the Pope of Surrealism in all his splendor. Salvador Dali is certainly the most photographed artist in the world. He is the most surrealist creation of his own production. His image on a picture is an artwork. In 1975, in Paris, Dali with the sponsoring of Nikon organises his first photo exhibition, with the famous photographer Robert Descharnes and Marc Lacroix, but back then, only the engravings and lithographs are noticed by the public. It is only in 2004, date of his 100th birthday, that the world of Art discovers « Dali Photographer » and his precious testimony through the decades of the last century, especially with the immortalised 'Fabulous adventure of Don Quichote' by Joseph Foret and the ’Apocalypse of Saint-Jean', which is still an important theme in present time. The Power of his compositions realised at Draeger in 1968, is also the only 'Sure & Realist' major creation, that illuminates and shines on the contemporary photography activity. Dali is an universal creator and we can never stop discovering his artistic interdisciplinarity. Discover also his Prints Text realised with the collaboration of Jordi Casals. #salvadordali #surrealism

Less than 10 years! That’s how long it took for David DAVID to assert himself as one of the most influential and sought-after figures in Contemporary Art. Unequivocally self-taught and internationally recognised and renowned, this French artist, who was born in Nancy but moved in Cannes, is making his way into sculptural and canvas art by means of his legendary character. Head in art Indeed, a sort of artistic alter-ego, DAVID’s “La Tête dans l’Art” first came to life as a sculpture of a man cutting himself off from the effervescence of the city and of society by means of lodging his head in a bucket of paint without restraint. As well as being a character inscribed in the past, present and future, it notably allows David DAVID to create a spokespersons through which he conveys his emotions, but also enabling such emotions to run through anyone admiring his work, whether that be in the street or in his workshop, through sculpture or painting. Work seriously, but don't take yourself seriously. Today, David DAVID has met the artistic height of his influencers as he is incontestably painted to be one of the leading artists of the contemporary artistic scene, from Paris to Saint-Paul of Vence, through to Cannes, Lyon and even Courchevel. Not only this! Already established in Switzerland and in Belguim, DAVID is also exporting his art to the savviest collectors in Singapore, thus illustrating his arrival onto the Asian market. Colourful, committed, audacious and endowed with sincerity and a certain humility, David DAVIDs character does not end there. Carried and inspired by his devouring passion and his infallible urge to keep on sharing, he is creating yet another breed of “La Tête dans l’Art” in his workshop in Cannes. Following the creation of “Blind”, a representation man discovering himself in today’s consumerist society through a mobile phone gripped in his hand, the sculptor, pushing his message to its paroxysm, multiplying his character infinitely in order to achieve one whole piece. His newest work? A creation whereby his treasured characters dive into luxury shopping bags, ironically mocking our consumerist society with a sense of self-depreciation. From the walls of our streets, to his workshop, David DAVID’s “DNA” constantly makes your mind wonder through its though-provoking statements. DAVID offers an artistic escape, provoking a poetic melancholy… all this with passion and delight. #daviddavid #streetart #graffiti #arturbain

See artworks A Recognised talent Anjel (Boris Anje) had the good fortune of being a 2016 artist-in-residence at the prestigious 'Les Ateliers Sahm' Brazzaville, Congo, where he was so fascinated by the city's celebrated dandies - also known throughout Africa as 'Sapeurs' - that he began making these colourful characters the primary subjects of his vibrant paintings. I draw my inspiration from my immediate environment Art it is! Having always been interested in figurative art - he started drawing characters from comic books when he was just nine years old and was the president of his secondary school's art club when he was sixteen - Anjel became deeply interested in the history of art while at the university, where he had a teacher who taught him the importance of perseverance in his practice and consistency in his work - two invaluable lessons that he has out to great use. I find a lot of refuge in my artistic practice, in my studio. I put my subjects in the position of power...portraying with sincerity. Creating a visual contrast between realistically rendered black bodies (both friends and figures found on social media sites and¡d through internet searches) and abstract logo-loaded, coloured grounds, Anjel makes Neo-pop Art paintings that provide spirited insights into his stylish models, while simultaneously painting out the persuasive influence of consumer culture. each canvas has a different aura… each piece carries a form of energy, a form of emotion, a state of mind… having a particular message, a particular focus point. Afro Seduction Exhibition Celebrated for his lively Neo-Pop Art paintings of contemporary African dandies, the Cameroon artist Anjel, who was born Boris Anje in 1993, continues his colourful exploration of fashionable black scenesters in the exhibition 'Afro Seduction', his second solo show with OOA Gallery, Barcelona, Spain. See artworks Post realised with the collaboration of Sorella Acosta - Text by Paul Lauster #anjel #africanart