We spoke with the artists NASA and Cabaio ahead of the opening for their new exhibition about art on and off the streets, and the challenge of taking on a collaborative show together in Gallery UNION.

BEGINNINGS

NASA: I began intervening in public space as a means of revitalizing underutilized areas of the city.

I was really interested in the idea of bringing something anonymous to the city. I found a new medium where I could express ideas on a larger scale in the public space, which was a revelation to me in many ways. I discovered a direct interaction with the space and with the inhabitants of the city.

Cabaio: I started to work in the public space with Vomito Attack.

I have great memories of that time – always at night, a spray can, a few sheets of stencils and out to paint. I was in university at the time and I didn’t have any artistic project in mind. My “artistic” interest came later, after I had been panting in the street for a while.

INFLUENCES

Cabaio: So many artists have inspired me.

Without doubt Blec and Banksy were fundamental, they were they ones who brought the tool of stencil to light for me. Also Greco, Twombly, Vasarely, Basquiat, Yepiz, architects such as Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa (SANAA), Le Corbusier, MVRDV and Koolhaas among others.

NASA: I’m a great admirer of modern art and the avant-garde.

If I could go back to any point in history, it would be as a student of the Bauhaus, everything that came out of there seems incredible to me. The Argentine artist Perez Celis was a huge inspiration for me as well. He may have been the one to introduce me to abstract art, which, for some reason, is the kind of art I most enjoy.

Artists that inspire me from the past and the present, from here and there in no particular order are Miró, Kandinsky, Mondrean, Sol Lewitt, Le Park, Ferrari, Siquier, Stella, Celis, Pollok, Testa, Tapies, Minujin, Picasso, Warhol, Basquiat, Haring, etc.

THE STREETS AND THE STUDIO

NASA: Today my work is focused mostly in the studio.

That’s where I find the axis, it’s where my research and production happens. I am thinking about bringing my work to the public space again and applying there everything I have done in the studio over the past few years.

Cabaio: For me, there is an inevitable relationship between the work done in the street and that of the studio.

In general my work starts in the studio and continues in the street, beyond that you have no idea where it will end up.

I think that this process that happens behind closed doors enriches the local urban art scene. I see a lot of development in the use of different techniques and ways of intervening in public space.

NASA: I think that ideally every scene renews itself, that there are always new contributors who are nurturing and expanding the movement.

I believe in change and evolution! I think that the future of the urban art scene depends on the actors and their concerns, as long as we’re in movement the fire will keep burning!

ASIMETRICOS

Cabaio: For this exhibition, we have departed from an initial recognition and acceptance of ourselves as asymmetrical.

We have points in common as artists, but different work and different points of view. The interesting thing is to try to recognize what these asymmetries are and to work together from there.

This concept has also caused me to experiment with asymmetry in my own work. I have given space to different processes occurring in a personal way.

NASA: The exchange of ideas and processes is very enriching, to ramble together is great for the spirit.

While it’s common to work in a team in urban art, this case is different because we are dealing with an exhibition in a gallery, so the context is different. It’s an important challenge ahead of us, but I really like the idea of creating unique and inimitable pieces which merge both of our work. It will be something special!

With Cabaio, I have found points of connection deep within the work. They are about structure, repetition, the use of frames, positive and negative space. Things that are hard to find simply by just looking at a piece of work.