My friend Rutger from Amsterdam just sent me these great flics of some street art from Barcelona. I’m not sure who the artist is, but these are really, seemingly nice quite portraits of everyday people on the streets, but with their (potential) inner thoughts written out beside them. The work feels like it has double resonance in Spain, capturing the present, but also referencing the dual consciousness that was needed to exist under Fascist dictatorship for 30 years. The translations are thanks to Emily, who also sent along the final photo, which appears to be the remnants of a large scale work by the same artist. Anyone who knows who’s doing these, let us know!
translation: “In my bag I always carry a weapon to fight sexism and fascism”
translation: “They say that immigrants are dangerous. But I’ve seen how the army shoots at them, how they detain them, how they leave them to die. It is the government that is killing them, and that lies to us every day.”
translation: “Look, they’ve torn down my house. I am afraid that I will forget everything that has happened here. What will remain? Nothing but rubble, trash…”
wow- inspiring me. taking empathy, and words that need to be spoken that perhaps we don’t speak so well outloud of ourselves, but speak to millions when they are on a wall, attached to a face that people know, but perhaps don’t ever consider what lies behind, in the soul of that face of that person you’ve always passed and never really looked at
thank you
kate
I’m not exactly sure who the artist is, however the work (especially the last one) reminds me of images I have seen by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada before. Wooster Collective has done a few spotlights on him in the past:
http://www.woostercollective.com/2008/01/identity_the_art_of_jorge_rodriguezgerad.html