Monthly Archives: February 2014

Amor

Jorge Pomar, also know as “Amor”, is an artist who credits the diversity, chaos and vitality of the public realm as being his primary artistic influence. From an early age he has seen the streets as forum for play, experimentation and exploration, both as a skateboarder and a young graffiti artist. While in many respects he has gradually moved away from graffiti, the tag is still deeply rooted in his work as a fundamental element and action.

Esthetically, Amor evades definition, allowing himself to be inspired instead by different areas of focus which lead him in a wide range of creative directions. However, his work is characterized by the use of bold, primary colours which evoke an innocence that acts as a foil to the more powerful themes he tackles, such as war and capitalism.

Amor’s work offers a glimpse into the personal world of the artist, where symbols embody both a unique vision and a universality that coexist in his art. In addition to painting murals, he has delved into ceramics to create more sculptural pieces, and in 2015 made a documentary of his travels to Europe. His walls can be seen in places as diverse as Argentina, Ukraine, France and Colombia.

For more by Amor:
Instagram
Website

Elian

Elian Chali was born and raised in Cordoba, where he currently lives. His relationship with the streets began with adolescent tagging and although his background is in graphic design, as an artist he is self-taught. Elian’s work focuses on creating a dialogue with the urban fabric, letting the characteristics of the wall inform the piece. He identifies with urbanism and architecture more than muralism or graffiti.

Stylistically, his work is notable for adhering to a disciplined form of minimalism and abstraction, influenced by North American artists such as Sol LeWitt. Employing a parametric set of primary colours, the artist uses layers, overlapping and opacity to create geometric compositions that either reflect, engage with, or disrupt the planes of the built environment he works on. Latex is his material of choice and although he favours the streets over studio work, he is equally adept at working on canvas as he is on walls.

For more by Elian:
Website
Instagram

Ice

Once a student of fine arts and graphic design, Ice’s murals were initially influenced by hip-hop style graffiti. In the 1990’s when letter based graffiti first began to hit the streets in Buenos Aires, he developed a penchant for aerosol while remaining independent from the crews that began to form as part of the movement.

Inspired by the breadth of possibilities offered by muralism, Ice’s artwork has gravitated towards a wide range of figurative subjects. With flawless technique, Ice uses latex paint and aerosol to conjure up portraits of familiar faces and whimsical landscapes, lifelike bugs and animals, and his notorious mushrooms, which have popped up throughout Buenos Aires as a signature image of the artist.

Ice has painted murals and lead workshops across Argentina as well as in Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brasil and Peru. He has also participated in events such as Ciudad Emergente, Arte Patricios, Meeting of Styles Festivals, and Latido Americano, among others.

For more by Ice:
Instagram
Flickr

Nazza Stencil

Nazza Stencil (aka Nazza Plantilla) began painting in the streets in 1994. His introduction to stencil came through technical school rather than from street art, where it was presented as an efficient and economic technique for image reproduction and typography.

An artist at the crossroads between artistic practice and political activism, Nazza’s work is an aesthetic realization of his political ideals. His compositions have focused on issues such as the Argentine Disappeared (the estimated 30,000 disappeared during the last military dictatorship), the Grandmothers and Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (the association of women whose children and grandchildren were disappeared during this same period), and the silent destruction of Argentina’s indigenous cultures and peoples. Each of his interventions tackles a specific issue, developing it on an artistic level with the aim of inserting it into the public sphere.

For more work by Nazza:
Flickr
Instagram
Available artworks in UNION Gallery