Large-scale street art murals are, by nature, grand and flashy. How could they not be? Any artist provided with a canvas so large that it occupies an entire building’s facade naturally pours their passion into the project. As a result, the themes trend topical and grandiose.
Serbian artist Artez often explores the quieter side of existence with his work, delving in to explore our inner lives rather than the machinations of society on the world’s stage. His latest work, titled “Silencio” examines the intricacies of our vast inner lives. The artist completed this work for DesOrdes urban art festival, which takes place annually in the small city of Ordes, located in northwestern Spain. The festival’s website states that it seeks to curate “a selection of the best street artists of the Gallician scene, spanish and international,” while acting “as a tool for urban regeneration and social dialogue.” The website continues to say that this festival “contributes to urban regeneration by turning old buildings into new and colorful spaces for everybody’s enjoyment,” resulting in “a big and public open-air museum!”
With “Silencio” Artez depicts two women facing away from each other, their eyes locked in unyielding, steely gazes set in opposite directions towards the floor and sky. Their body language signals contraction, they draw into themselves. However, the artist infuses his signature sense of whimsy at the mural’s focal point, contrasting this tone of conflict with the googly-eyed sock puppets that each woman holds, seemingly yammering at each other. The scene plays out amongst a background of the dreamlike houseplants and furniture that are native to this artist’s traditional landscape.
The artist’s statement for “Silencio” writes that, “often, when feelings and body language talk, we find words to be superfluous as the conversation continues, not with another person but with one’s own self. Imaginary dialogues are over-exaggerated, not based on facts and in a way absurd. Predicting what other person thinks, imagining their actions, creating the scenarios in your head, talking to them without ever saying a word, listening to your own thoughts coming from their mouth and stealing their freedom of speech and thought, all done in silence that is everything but silent. Next time you catch yourself doing it get yourself a hand puppet and express yourself – it will do you good and hopefully steal a smile or two from the person you should be talking to!”
I love that Artez utilized this opportunity to explore such an intangible, yet crucial topic. I believe that those grand problems often dwelled upon by talking heads, radio hosts, and mural artists alike all start in small places – with the pains that individual members of a society privately hold. These shards we each hide inevitably coalesce into a greater mosaic of struggle. With his light-hearted conclusion, Artez seems to pose a potential solution: open communication, and the love that it fosters. While communication may not erase every internal pain we hold, it certainly serves to mitigate their effects. If we start on an interpersonal level, the results may very well trickle upward. If at first we experience difficulty in establishing that connecting, employing our sense of humor always helps.
Images by A.L. Crego.
Artez: website | facebook | instagram
DesOrdes Creativas: website | facebook | instagram
