BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
Fresh from his residency at a nun’s convent called Creença (Belief), Alberto Montes takes on the “Politics of Lucidity” in this new mural in Barcelona here on October 1st one year after Catalan voted to secede from Spain in a vote Madrid deemed illegal.
A moody monocrome scene of people placing votes, Montes says he is paying tribute to peaceful democratic change in an era where democratic structures are under stress in much of the developed and developing world. In contrast, protesters have thrown at police a kaleidoscope of colored paints during the last couple of days in Barcelona, covering officers and the ground with aesthetically celebratory cheer.
Alberto Montes. “PolÍtica de Luicidez” Contorno Urbano Foundation / Kaligrafics. 12 + 1 Project. Sant Feliu del Llobregat. Barcelona, September 2018. (photo © Alex Miró)
“This mural reflects on the human condition and its ideals in moments of great tension and political decision,” says the Sevillian Montes, who achieves a depth of field in this scene by building up the layers and strategically masking.
It is times like these that we reexamine the fundamentals of democracies to see if they are healthy. Freedom of speech and artistic expression are often the first to go in oppressive police states so the existing of this work is a good sign. Meanwhile you can be continually reassured and hopeful because of the populist program he’s painting for, the heralded 12+1 Project in Sant Feliu del Llobregat outside Barcelona.
Alberto Montes. “PolÍtica de Luicidez” Contorno Urbano Foundation / Kaligrafics. 12 + 1 Project. Sant Feliu del Llobregat. Barcelona, September 2018. (photo © Alex Miró)
Alberto Montes. “PolÍtica de Luicidez” Contorno Urbano Foundation / Kaligrafics. 12 + 1 Project. Sant Feliu del Llobregat. Barcelona, September 2018. (photo © Alex Miró)
Alberto Montes. “PolÍtica de Luicidez” Contorno Urbano Foundation / Kaligrafics. 12 + 1 Project. Sant Feliu del Llobregat. Barcelona, September 2018. (photo © Alex Miró)
Alberto Montes. “PolÍtica de Luicidez” Contorno Urbano Foundation / Kaligrafics. 12 + 1 Project. Sant Feliu del Llobregat. Barcelona, September 2018. (photo © Alex Miró)
