Roa painted three pieces in Buenos during his stay. A partially skinned animal now hangs on the terrace above Hollywood in Cambodia gallery, a sloth occupies an abandoned building near the studio space shared by Jaz, Ever & Pastel, and during his last few days Roa and Ever painted a remarkable piece on the front of a squatted building in Palermo Viejo.

The collaborative piece is titled “The people feed communism to the beast”.

Roa paints animals which are native to the countries he visits and which hold a symbolic relevance to the context in which he paints, whilst Ever uses the aesthetics of Chinese propaganda to explore the relationship between ideological fantasy and reality.

The surreal image of Chairman Mao’s disembodied head being offered to an elephant seal is both visually arresting and intriguing in its symbolism.

See more from Roa on his flickr, and more from Ever on his website.

Here are a few photos of the spectacular new mural from the Buenos Aires art collective rundontwalk, created with the support of Roger Waters.

The massive mural in Palermo features a number of enormous animal stencils from Fede Minuchin, set against a colourful backdrop of swirling shapes and vines painted by Tester.

Fede Minuchin has been responsible for releasing a host of strange, often mutated animals into the street of Buenos Aires over the years. We’ve managed to capture a number of them in a facebook album titled the Buenos Aires Zoo.

The two artists who make up the collective are both prolific in their solo projects, and its a rare treat to see them collaborate together on a piece of this scale.

Jaz has painted a number of spectacular pieces in Buenos Aires during the past few weeks.

The zoo of painted animals inhabiting the streets of Buenos Aires acquired a lion and an extraordinary pair of giant polar bears, each 3 metres tall. Jaz had painted a similar piece for the Fuera de la Linea exhibition in Rosario.

His latest paintings feature a theme he explored during his recent trip to the US. His pieces in both the Ritual Exhibition in Brooklyn & the Living Walls conference in Atlanta featured a surreal visual of humans and animals melding together at the head.

The streets act as Jaz’s sketch book. All his ideas begin in the streets, with some later being adapted into gallery pieces. One of the scene’s most prolific artists, his ability to work comfortably and quickly at enormous scales is remarkable, as is his seemingly limitless range of subjects and styles.

Besides his arresting compositions and the imposing scales of his pieces, one of the more unusual qualities of Jaz’s paintings are the materials he works with. His recent paintings use an unconventional artistic medium – asphaltic paint. Also known as bitumen, asphaltic paint is a thick, black viscous liquid typically used in road construction and roofing. Mixed with petrol and blended with industrial white emulsion, asphaltic paint provides the complex array of sepia tones which give Jaz’s pieces their remarkable textures.

Painting with asphaltic paint is cheap. Really cheap. A small container of asphaltic paint has lasted Jaz over two years, and he’s only half way through it. Industrial white emulsion is the cheapest paint money can buy, petrol is substantially cheaper than paint thinner, and asphaltic paint provides all the pigments Jaz needs to render his ideas at huge scales, at minimal cost.

Once applied to the wall, the glistening blend of petrol and bitumen creates textures and reflects light in a markedly different way to spray paint. The mixture covers the wall effortlessly, in washes of colour that build in layers. Jaz’s street painting give the viewer the strange impression that he has somehow managed to paint a huge concrete wall using watercolours.

Roma explained in a recent interview that many artists were forced to improvise with materials following the 2001 crash. The high cost of imported spray paint lead to many artists experimenting with new materials for their street art, however in Jaz’s case it’s principally a stylistic choice.

“I’m taking the same materials that the streets are made from and using them in my paintings” Jaz explains. ”I like the connection with the street.”

How did your career as an artist begin?

I used to paint my name everywhere at school, but I didn’t know what graffiti was. Then I met Dano, who was my older sister’s boyfriend. Dano introduced me to graffiti and taught me the techniques behind it. We started to go out painting together, and I was still really young, only 12 years old. It was an incredible adventure.

It was funny… at school you’d get back from the holidays and the teacher would ask the class what everyone had done during their vacation. The others would say things like “I went to…wherever…with my family”. And then when they asked me I would say, “I painted a train with a friend”. The teacher looked at me like I was a delinquent.

When you first started painting, did you ever think about developing it into something bigger?

No, never. I never studied painting so I really never imagined anything happening with it. But I kept on painting, and after a while I’d get asked to do a show somewhere, and I’d accept. Then others projects would come my way, and I’d accept them too.

Its the same story today – people email me with jobs without me ever having to look for them.  I’ve got a good website, besides I’ve just let things develop naturally.

Was there ever a moment when you stopped looking at painting as just a hobby and started to take it more seriously?

Things changed when I landed my first big job that paid really well, which was with Cartoon Network. There was a major shift at that point, not just because of the job though. I saw a lot of my friends end up in jail, and realized that instead of doing things that would put me there as well, I had the chance to do something that wasn’t going to bother anyone, plus I could make good money doing it.

I realized that I loved painting. I could make a living from it and it was good for me, so it seemed like a perfect combination.

How do you feel about the neighbourhood you’ve grown up in?

It’s my place, my home. We were always the kids in the street. Now I’ve found my own way of continuing to do what I’ve always liked. When I was little all of us started off in the streets, I’m still here doing the same thing, it’s great.

I’ve found a way to remain a child, and it’s fantastic.

Your murals vary between abstract and figurative pieces, why is that? How do you decide which is right for a mural?

I’m a person in constant flux and so the subjects of my paintings change as well. I can’t keep doing the same thing all the time, once I’ve done something I won’t do it again.

I draw a lot, in black and white with pen. In fact I never stop drawing, I sketch about 20 drawings a day. And then I’ll see a wall and remember a drawing, and think, “that drawing could work here, and the space deserves it.”

For me, the space itself is really important for the painting, as much as the painting is for the space.

Your characters always have really interesting clothing, they have a lot of style.

Some day I would love to have a clothing line, that’s a dream of mine. I’ve always liked fashion and to design a line of clothing would be amazing.

What motivates you to paint?

When the sun’s out I’m inspired. That’s really important. Getting together with friends, putting on an event, that really motivates me. When I’m out painting and living these moments I always think about how I can maintain this life, and keep doing this forever.

Do you ever think about why you paint?

No, no. If I asked myself why I paint I’d have to stop. I don’t know why I paint. I don’t like what I draw, I never have. That sort of pushes me to continue painting.

The day that I like something that I’ve drawn is the day I will stop painting. It’s like a constant cycle. But what I do know is that painting keeps me sane, I have to continue painting in order to be well.

* * * * *

More from Mart: http://flavors.me/airesmart

Mart at work

The finished piece

This sense of open community and collaborative spirit can be seen in murals throughout the city.  For several years the playground at Córdoba and Bonpland has been the site of colorful collaborative murals featuring artists from several different collectives – Tec from FASE, Chu from DOMA and rundontwalk. With their cast of playful characters, created using a variety of different styles and techniques, these artists blend their pieces together to create a cohesive landscape of creatures.

Blending styles has never really been seen as problem in Buenos Aires, and most artists are more than happy to share walls with other talented artists from different backgrounds. Nerf and Pum Pum are an excellent example of this dynamic, having frequently developed collaborative pieces which blend their two seemingly opposite styles. Nerf is a graffiti artist who is well known for his extraordinary skill with aerosol, his spectacular wild style pieces and his inimitable 3D cubes. By contrast, Pum Pum’s background is in graphic design and illustration, she works almost exclusively with latex paint, rollers and brushes, and her pieces are 2D, very feminine and more than a little bit “cute”. Other artists might hesitate to combine such different styles, and many graffiti artists exclusively work with other writers. Nerf & Pum Pum, whilst sharing little common ground artistically have collaborated extensively over the years, creating some truly unique walls in which their styles accent one another through their striking differences.

BA’s urban artists also prove to be warm and receptive hosts when it comes to the constant stream of international artists who touch down with paints in hand. In keeping with the collaborative spirit, local artists often view visiting artists as an excellent opportunity to develop new pieces together, learn new styles and techniques, and make new friends and contacts. When the Canadian artist Other came to Buenos Aires for several months in early 2011, he was welcomed into the scene by local artists Jaz and Ever among others. Showing him around the city, they shared their knowledge and collaborated on a range of different works, giving Other a taste of the freedom he had never experienced painting in his native home of Toronto.

The collaborative spirit of the urban arts scene of Buenos Aires is surely one of its most unique characteristics, especially given the often competitive nature of both graffiti and arts scenes internationally. In addition to making Buenos Aires one of the most accessible cities to paint anywhere in the world, this spirit has created an abundance of utterly unique pieces – the product of diverse influences and a singular desire to collaborate.

(Melissa Foss)

Chu (DOMA) + Tec (FASE) + rundontwalk

Chu (DOMA) + Tec (FASE) + rundontwalk

nerf + pum pum

nerf + pum pum

other + jaz + ever

jaz + other

With relatively few wheatpaste artists active in Buenos Aires, we were really excited when Yola got in touch with us and talked us through her ideas. Yola is one of the most unusual and innovative wheatpaste artists in the world. Her creations feature classical paintings recreated using contemporary models, and she incorporates her passion for renaissance art, her wry sense of humour and her formidable talents in image manipulation and digital composition into her work.

Over the years her artistic career has progressed from illicitly pasting posters in Parisian streets, to being informed by the Polish minister of culture that she was free to do whatever she wanted on any public building, anywhere in Warsaw. Taking full advantage of this freedom to work, she created a series of increasingly ambitious pieces, some spanning several floors in height and requiring cranes and specialist teams to paste them up. At scale, her work becomes arresting and highly provocative. The public cannot avoid her pieces, which can be an issue. Whilst paste ups will inevitably be peeled away from the walls by the wind and the rain – Yola’s are sometimes brought down by human hands – critics who object to her subverting religious imagery in her pieces.

Her piece in Buenos Aires is a recreation of a painting called “The Vicious Circle” by Jacek Malczewski, a Polish artist whose painting depicts a circular dance, which represents human lives becoming entangled in history. Yola explained that her interpretation of the piece explores the relationship that migration has with this sense of entanglement. The models who posed to recreate the painting hailed from across Latin America and the rest of the world, as did the three street artists who shared the wall with her – Jaz, Other & Corona are from Argentina, Canada & France respectively.

The spectacular piece nestles between one of Jaz’s lion masked wrestlers, a demonic creation from Other and a set of serene, regal faces painted by Corona. Whilst elements of Yola’s piece currently overlap the other pieces, this was fully anticipated by her collaborators, who plan to return in the weeks to come and add the final touches to fully integrate their pieces with Yola’s.

There are very few artists with the technical skills required to create a piece like this (when not pasting things to the side of buildings, Yola works on CGI and digital composition for major Hollywood productions.) Even fewer would self-finance a trip to the other side of the world to recreate a relatively obscure Polish masterpiece. But aside from the impressive scale, techniques and unusual concept behind Yola’s work, what we enjoyed most was the way she collaborated and interacted with others. She incorporated the public into her piece, recreating the painting using local models and newly-made friends. In true Argentine style, she connected with local street artists to create a collaborative mural, and finally – she put the piece up in a busy street where everybody could see it.

Yola’s art, whilst highly specialised, is created to engage and interact with the public. This is surely one of the ultimate aims of art in the streets – to connect to the general public in a way that art in a museum cannot.

Yola’s piece is located at Charcas and Sanchez de Bustamente in Palermo, Buenos Aires.

You can see more work from Yola here: http://yolastreetart.blogspot.com/

Original Painting: "The Vicious Circle" by Jacek Malczewski

Finished wall: Jaz + Yola + Other + Corona

Each room featured work with from a different artist, and each took a different approach.Whilst some rooms were immaculately restored, others were left as they were found – with the textures of crumbling plaster and the shadows cast by peeling paintwork contributing to the artwork.

The installation was part of a program of events run by Red Bull called “House of Art”, which has seen various buildings in cities across the world transformed by local artists.

Plenty of brands work with street artists, commission murals and create “graffiti” style advertising, but Red Bull have been more successful than most – mainly through their commendable stance on creating opportunities, then standing well back from the artists and giving them creative control over the project.

With branded presence kept to a minimum, the “House of Art” was reminiscent of the inaugural exhibition at CCEBA, where street artists transformed another derelict building (a former orphanage) into an extraordinary collaborative art space.

Pintado por Tester

Pintado por Jaz

Pintado por Poeta

Pintado por Roma

Pintado por Triangulo Dorado

Pintado por Malatesta

The carnival-style parade gave many friends and supporters of the gallery the chance to celebrate Turbo, who braved the rain to take part and dressed up in colourful costumes that the Doma guys had spent weeks creating. Once the costumes were on, banners and bikes filled the streets and the carnival danced around Palermo to culminate in Plaza Mafalda with fireworks and applause from happy, energised people.

The Turbo gallery has been a staple fixture on the graffitimundo tour since we began in 2009.  As one of the only galleries in Buenos Aires to consistently showcase street art, it has raised the profile of many young or outsider artist, who otherwise may not have had the chance to exhibit. The exhibitions have given many people inspiration and joy. We thank the Doma crew, Paula and Leo for their work at the gallery and wish them every success for future endeavours.

Long may the spirit of Turbo continue! Que siga el baile!

Thank you to Doma for letting us use the photos. More from Turbo’s flickr here

foto: Mati Doma

foto: Mati Doma

foto: Diegue San Martin

foto: Paz Rodriguez

foto: holaautomne.blogspot.com

foto: holaautomne.blogspot.com

The even will feature 20 top class artists painting live, creating a mural on 500 sheets of paper over a period of 8 hours. At the end of the event the mural will be dismantled and 500 posters will be created which will be presented for sale to the public. 1 peso from the sale of each poster will be donated to Wild Again.

There will also be an acoustic performance from the band Recovek, a stand where 5 artists will be painting trainers from the clothing store Puro, a design competition for the public, a juice bar with refreshments, competitions, prizes and other activities. Should be an great event.

There will also be an afterparty later hosted by JUANELE for participants, press & VIPs.

For more information contact Bradley James at prensa@inthehoneycomb.com

www.inthehoneycomb.com

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139308609459082

The stencil top right is a portrait of Ermelinda, an elderly lady suffering from Alzheimers. Whilst Ermelinda no longers remembers Buenos Aires, the walls of the city attest to the fact that she has not been forgotten.

A beautiful and moving tribute.

Ermelinda stencil and colourful background painted by Clavahead

Pipe player stencil lower right painted by Cabaio Stencil