INTERVIEW TO SLOMO

Slomo is a Venezuelan artist that has lived in the USA for the last 17 years, and he’s now living in Barcelona. His work is based on a lot of colors, transparencies, overlays in geometric or abstract shapes.

He has a lot of influence from Venezuelan Kineticism, teachers like Soto, Cruz Diez, Otero, greatly marked his childhood, growing up in Caracas, Venezuela surrounded by so much cinematic work on the streets, galleries or museums.

His other influences have been Spanish urban artists, such as PEZ, KENOR, KRAM, URIGINAL , with whom he has shared, they have taught him and helped him in his artistic path.


Due to your solid career path and experience, you have been able to travel to different parts of the world. Is there a city that you could highlight as a reference for the expression of urban art?

A city as a reference I could not tell you, I think I have a long way to go to highlight a single city, but my answer would be based on which are my favourite cities to paint, and well, I obviously prefer Barcelona and Miami (Wynwood) haha.


Also, you have participated in many different projects. Is there one that you remember with special affection?

Two years ago, we went to Timisoara, Romania, with a project run by SpectrumWip, a very nice experience, a group of brutal artists, large-scale mural, in a quite different culture, very nice experience!


Your mural works convey an authenticity that leads us to think that, in part, they are the result of the magic of improvisation in the execution of the mural itself. Is there any previous preparation of your works? How would you describe your creative process?

Well, yes, I never actually make sketches, my preparation is based on colors, I think about the range I want to use ... But in terms of composition, I let myself be carried away by the moment and space, I get much more out of improvisation than copying from a sketch, I have a lot more fun.


How does the urban space around you influence when creating your works?

VERY MUCH!!

In Miami, I used to paint a lot with turquoise, magentas, colors that you see in the city, on its beaches, in its buildings, Art Deco, etc. Here in Barcelona that changed a bit, in a positive way I mean, the urban space that surrounds me greatly influences the range of colors that I use in my works.


One of the characteristics of muralism is that the artist is in constant interaction with the urban space and, at the same time, with the people. Could you tell us an anecdote that you lived while painting a wall?

In November 2019, I was invited to a festival in Bogotá, Colombia, by ‘Distrito Graffiti’, on that occasion I made a wall in collaboration with the Puerto Rican artist Don RIMX, we paid tribute to the former FRUKO trombonist “Pantera” and his TESOS, (a salsa band from Colombia) since they told us that he lives near the neighborhood where we were going to paint and as DON RIMX and I are fans of SALSA music, we decided to paint him a wall in homage and the response of the neighborhood, the people and the same "Pantera" was incredible !!! Experiences like that fill your life!