A Global Street Art Story: ARGENTINA

Words:
Alexandra Jagodzinski
17/06/2015
a global street art storyargentinafranco fasolijazlimited editionmuralmural festmural festivalprintsserigraphiesilkscreenstation 16 gallery

Mural by Jaz in Istanbul, Turkey (2013)

Representing Argentina in A Global Street Art Story is Franco Fasoli aka Jaz. One of the best known street artists to come from Argentina, Jaz began painting in the streets of Buenos Aires in the late 1990s. Jaz’s artwork has evolved over time by experimenting with a variety of techniques and mediums, including aerosol, acrylic, tar, gasoline, latex paint, and paper collage. Today, his work highlights anamorphic figures that are often in scenes of combat. Although capturing a single moment of battle, the muscular hybrids appear in constant motion, creating a dynamic and captivating image. Through his scenes of confrontation, conflict and duality are central themes to his work. In an interview with VNA, Jaz states that “the symbolism is as important as the materials and the context in my work. They are very connected to the place. I like introduce popular symbols and rituals, especially in Latin American culture, and re-create new myths with those elements.”

Mural by Jaz in Graz, Austria (2014)
Mural by Jaz in Rabat, Morocco (2015)
Although Latin American imagery and traditions inspire much of Jaz’s work, he often incorporates local symbolism into his international works, as seen in his mural created for the 2015 Mural Festival in Montreal. “The connection with the local people is fundamental and is one thing that I really enjoy of being an urban artist, to travel and know the places in a very different perspective.” Jaz’s large scale mural reflects Montreal’s history and culture by depicting the tensions between English and French cultures of the city. Located just a block off of boulevard St-Laurent, the historical dividing line between the Francophones and Anglophones, Jaz’s mural exhibits both the conflict and convergence of these two cultures. In his mural, the human-bull figure appears as two entities that have merged. While the tattoos on one side directly allude to France, the opposing side displays imagery of Britain. The center portion depicts maple leaves, a classic symbol of Canada, to represent the resulting culture from the combined heritages.

Mural by Jaz in Montreal, Canada (2015)

Paper collage has often been Jaz’s choice of medium, or at least the aesthetic driving his work’s development, as seen in his Montreal mural and his latest print release with Station 16 Gallery. The print was originally a collage piece that our print shop transformed into a beautiful, 10 colour silkscreen print. Featuring a battle between two hybrid creatures, as well as some Latin American references, the print is a perfect representation of the Argentinian artist. An edition of just 25, snag your Jaz print here.