Before the world stopped revolving and we were all subject to various degrees of lockdown Barcelona based artists Spogo and Marti Noy curated Recien Pintado in their hometown of Badalona near Barcelona. Recien Pintado translates to ‘just painted’ and this exhibition showcases the works of 10 international artists. These artists have something in common, well two things in fact, their work in the streets and their connection to the town of Badalona.
These artists represent a culture and a lifestyle that started with graffiti and hip-hop in the early nineties. Both artistic expressions were spreading messages of political protest and social justice, evolving until the present days. Graffiti was being used as a way of sending vindicatory messages and, at the same time, as a tool for dignifying the forgotten spaces of the city, filling walls and abandoned buildings with murals.
At Recien Pintado the exhibiting artists won’t be intervening the streets. They won’t be displaying their finished art pieces in the venue either. Oh no, it’s much more special than that… each artist will be creating their artwork in real time at the gallery space. The audience will be able to visit the space while the artists create their pieces on the walls and spaces of the building. This allows the viewer to share the creative and artistic WIP with the artist up close and personal..
One artist creating in situ for Recien Pintado is the renowned Madrileno Ruben Sanchez (Zoonchez) You may know Sanchez’s work from his gloriously colourful abstract murals across the globe. Recently however Sanchez has been transitioning back to working on more sculpture based pieces. For Recién Pintado the artist has created a wooden sculpture titled ‘Siesta post Fiesta’ 100% handmade from wood the piece is inspired by the dream worlds we can only visit in our dreams. Although the piece is more minimalistic in colour that his usual work it still has enough of Sanchez’s vibrancy running throughout to make it indisputably his. I like to think of those flashes of colour as parts of these dreams flowing through the human mind like a river.
Recien Pintado
The exhibition is curated by local artist Spogo and Martí Noy, and organized in collaboration with Badalona City Council and the Vicerectorat d’Arts, Cultura i Patrimoni of the University of Barcelona, with the support of the Generalitat of Catalunya. The Exhibition is being held at the Centre Cultural El Carme, Badalona, Barcelona and will re-convene once lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
Ruben Sanchez
Born in Madrid and has been adopted by cities such as Barcelona, New York, Dubai and currently Badalona. His work was born in the subcultures of graffiti and skateboarding, and later integrated notions of graphic design and illustration. Elements such as translucency, intersections between forms and Mediterranean colour palettes appear in his work. He constantly explores new techniques and supports and his work is materialised in canvases, murals, translucent wooden pieces, ceramics, large installations and a wide range of possibilities where the established is always questioned in a kind of game. His characters, always in a fragile balance with abstraction, interact with each other and invite the viewer to decipher a message that can have several interpretations. He has painted murals and participated in exhibitions and projects in many countries in Europe, Asia and America.
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zoonchez/
Website – https://www.iamrubensanchez.com/
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