Sixeart

September 1st, 2006

Before the arrival of the term Street art everywhere, Graffiti was there for about 20 years already. And some of the artists that grew up with it had started to push the boundaries of that art form. Coming from that tradition but heading decisively towards his personal discourse, Sixe has developed a style hard to define just in terms of any particular movement. His art is a necessary referent in the urban landscape of his hometown of Barcelona but has been shown in galleries and museums too, including his recent show at Subaquatica, one of the most successful here to the date. It was time already we had a talk with him that we could share with all of you.

First, a question we ask all artists we interview: When, Where, How and why did you start doing art on the street?

I started painting around the late 80’s in Badalona (near Barcelona). Since I was a kid I always liked to draw. With my dad, that wasn’t an artist, we used to do this mixes of color and abstract compositions. The whole painting on the street thing started after I saw some pieces and tags around. Then I met a member of the DFR crew and he explained how all that worked. He had been doing Graffiti and also Breakdance and showed me pictures of pieces he had done. All that made me want to do it myself and started putting up my name everywhere. Actually I was just bombing at first and didn’t started doing pieces until at least a year later.

Sixe and Nano4814

I have the feeling that you are an artist coming from a Graffiti tradition and background but that has been able to fit very well into the new Street art scene and has started working more and more in events and with artists that deviates from the classical Graffiti aesthetics. But, where do you see yourself?

First of all I’m a Graffiti writer because that’s where I’m coming from. I started out in that just like many others. Many people have never seen that but I was doing pieces with letters for a long time. I just don’t think about it very much and on the other hand I enjoy participating in all these projects because they offer me new experiences. For instance, I enjoy having to take into consideration what the client needs when a commission work comes up and the challenge it represents. And in any case, I have my style and no one offers me to participate in projects where I would have to deviate from that.

It seems like many artists coming from Street art of Graffiti have a professional activity where their work is more dependent on computers and some are clearly graphic designers. You, however, seem to use the same handcrafted and manual approach in your commercial and commissioned work and use the same techniques.

First of all I’m an artist but yes, I do work for agencies and since about a year and a half I use a computer too but just as a tool for preliminary coloring and some jobs where it’s required. I use it a lot or trying different color combinations before painting on canvas.

I know you have work with different clothing brands and fashion designers. What can you tell us about that experiences?

The fashion world is very interesting. I’ve work with designers such JJosep Font, Kina Fernández and brands like Cimarrón, Pull and Bear and a few more and the experience has been very positive in all this cases. I would really like to create my own collection based on my characters.

As for commission work, how is your approach to using your own line of work to address the client’s needs?

I approach that challenge with a preliminary study and sketches until I can reach what the client is looking for without having to depart from my own style. People already know about my work and usually when they come to me with some project they know what to expect.

And about your street work: How do you feel your own activity and Barcelona have changed since you started painting on the streets?

The whole scene has evolved very much since I started. I’ve had different periods and changes but I feel that I’ve always maintained a very personal approach. Compared to other cities I can see a much wider variety of styles in Barcelona nowadays and I find that very stimulating.

In your own personal universe there seem to be some characters that show up more often: Chickens and animals in general, kids… Can you explain how and why?

My own universe of characters comes from a happy childhood and a close contact with mother nature. When I was a kid I had many animals around such as birds, doves, turtles… scorpions!! And my first job was at a pet shop. I guess all that has remained in my subconscious and now shows in my artistic activity. Also I feel that that childish style of mine helps keep me younger.

It seems like while the influences of your childhood are obvious the bitter side of adulthood is also present. How much of it is intentional and how is it therapeutic?

There are those influences and of course there is a strong presence of all the things I’ve been through in my life since then. I guess my work is a reflection of my personality and there’s the subconscious playing a part without me noticing. Sometimes I paint things while thinking about other stuff or I later realize that there’s a particular moment of my life right there or a desire and I didn’t even noticed in the process. What actually keeps me alive and young is creating and painting. If I feel happy while painting I don’t think much about the rest.

Could you define that balance between the childish aesthetics and the use of bright plain colors and the darker side in your work.?

I would define it with the following words: sinister tragicomedy with notes of psychopaty and touches of acid.

You been doing sculpture for some time now. Please tell us about that. Do you have any intention of bringing that to the street too?

My experience with sculpture is very good and I’ve been doing proofs and series for a few years. I’m happier every day with the results. The structures I create for them have been getting better lately as well as my work technique. The last ones I’ve done were a commission from a children clothing brand called Tuc Tuc and in my workshop I have about 27 pieces almost finished that will be ready to be shown soon. I haven’t thought about bringing them to the street and they are conceived for galleries but I’m not ruling that idea out either.

Also concerning your sculptures I can see you have two different lines of work: One with a more industrial look and the use of recycled parts and the other that where what you do is more of a 3D version of your character work. Could you elaborate further on this?

Like you said I have to different approaches when it comes to sculptures and they are clearly different from each other. With one of them it’s more of a search for random designs that end up creating a figurative composition that somehow resemble the basic lines of my characters. I don’t paint these sculptures and the main role is played by the parts that I use and the composition. With the other “3D” pieces that you mention it’s a more elaborate kind of sculpture because of the process it implies: Construction of the structure, which takes some time already, then the filling and shaping and then the sanding and painting.

How has been your experience in the world of art galleries and museums?

All that world is very appealing to me and until now I’ve done a few shows at galleries and have always felt very comfortable with them. It seems like the art world is increasingly interested in urban artists nowadays.

What have you been doing lately?

I’m preparing a joint show with Dios1 for the N2 gallery in Barcelona, a project for the Toulouse city council and some illustrations for a Rojo magazine project with Nike Air, as well as a couple of other things.

Any plans for the future that you can tell us about?

I have a show in Brussels next year.

Something you want to do that it hasn’t been proposed to you yet?

I would like to have a book with my work published and find my new muse.

Any artists or initiatives that you would like to recommend?

Artists like Fasim, Pone88 and Dios1. And, what better initiative than respect? Thank you!!

Entry Filed under: Artists