MERMAID
300 x 450 cm
Like many other street artists, Artez started as a graffiti writer. He enjoyed experimenting with different styles and approaches but started adding characters to his pieces in 2008/9. That set him on the photo-realism path, which taught him precision, technical perfection, and patience. Around that time, his inspiration was animals, mainly roosters, and his dog Luna, whose portrait from 2012 still stands opposite the Mermaid. But then he introduced human figures and started working more with acrylic paint and brushes. So, what we see here is, in a way, one of the pieces that symbolize the end of the cycle and the birth of new inspiration and technique. Shortly after this piece was made, he almost exclusively concentrated on the representation of female figures merged with plants and flowers. It is supposed to symbolize the importance of the relationship between humans and nature, a relationship that should be holistic and involve deep understanding. He often uses his girlfriends as models to create female characters that emerge from his need to communicate with the widest possible audience. And if we know that in the last 10 years he has painted everywhere from India to Brazil, then we can see that the characters, symbols, and representations he uses need to be universally recognizable.