Earlier this month, Spanish street art duo Dourone completed their first large-scale project in Sweden. Located in the city of Angelholm, their mural, titled “LITA 00 :00,02,” appears to be the next step in their ‘Space-time H’ series, which the pair initiated in December 2018. In a statement, the artists explain that this piece “is part of the record that the artist is developing and talks about the consolidation and fragmentation using time as the basis in the 21st century through the female figure.”
In material provided alongside their first mural in this series, titled “Esther 00: 00,02” Dourone stated that their ‘Space-time H’ series explores the conflicting forces of consolidation and fragmentation to “reflect on the concept of time and speed of the 21st century, the instantaneous journey in which we live, where over-information is modifying our reading, communication and information habits.”
With “LITA” the themes and motifs from their first effort are elaborated upon to continue playing with these notions. Again, the artists use an actual model who the mural is named after. Again, she is shown swimming in profound thought, though this time the model is fully depicted from two angles in the mural rather than just one. “LITA” is fragmented, the varying shaded portions of her visage reimagined as completely independent planes, all rendered in uniquely vivid hues. As the viewer examines the pixels that comprise her background, they notice that “LITA” is not painted on the building’s facade, but is actually affixed there.
Dourone’s most recent statement says, “this installation was totally designed and made by the artist and specially created for the place. Both, the structure and the hand painted 64 panels of 1m2 are made of wood. The wood has an anti-humidity treaty to ensure its duration over time as well as 4 layers of paint in addition to the artwork own acrylic paint. It also has 170 anchor points to the wall.” The result of their intense craftsmanship is another innovative work of street art that captures the mania of our times. While “LITA” appears transfixed in placid thought, she is actually a frenzy of competing colors. The pixels that surround her embody the plethora of information she must be processing. “LITA” is frozen in a state that many of us find ourselves perpetually trapped in today.
This momentous work by Dourone was completed in collaboration with KulturHotellet Helsinborg in just under two weeks. The Swedish organization’s website says it is “an arts and culture agency” that “looks outward, works broadly, and wants to make art a stronger element in people’s everyday lives by taking it out of the art hall and into the public space, to workplaces and into homes.” Two staff members from the organization, Peter Eriksson and Timothy Avey, actually assisted with Dourone’s installation in order to ensure its speedy completion. Their hands-on effort exemplifies their mission to “make art accessible to everyone and to create the conditions for creators, companies and organizations to collaborate, share knowledge and develop networks.” In an increasingly complicated, interconnected reality, it’s crucial for us to remember that the purpose of new systems should be to bring us closer, to make life more pleasurable and real.
Dourone: website | facebook | instagram
KulturHotellet Helsinborg: website | facebook | instagram
