If ever there were an artist capable of switching seamlessly between indoor and outdoor practice, Pejac would instantly spring to mind. Following his much-acclaimed fourth solo show in Berlin at the end of 2021, he kicked off 2022 working on the streets of Madrid.
When working in the urban space, one of the elements that most distinguishes Pejac is his ability to find poetry where there is none and this is the essence of his latest intervention in the Carabanchel neighborhood in Madrid, literally. Located in the south of the city, this traditionally working-class neighborhood is one of the most diverse areas of the capital.
Paying homage to the local residents, Pejac has created a minimalist artwork charged with surrealism, a piece that spreads over the side wall of the new VETA Gallery – a symbol of the cultural and artistic transformation that the neighborhood has undergone in recent times.
With his intervention, the artist not only resists restoring that which appears to lack value, but also carefully enhances the imperfections of the wall. With the goal of focussing attention on what already exists, Pejac deemed it sufficient to add discreet touches to the existing texture of the wall. Next to the areas of the wall where the paint has fallen off, the artist has depicted tiny groups of people who, in a collective and organized way, carry these “empty spaces” as if they were valuable objects.
With this artistic intervention, Pejac invites the residents of Carabanchel to look at these patches of broken paintwork with pride and a fresh perspective. Perhaps it is his way of singing the praises of the history of the neighborhood and its residents, of what is authentic.
The artwork can be found at:
Calle de Antoñita Jiménez 39, Madrid 28019, Spain
