Surrealist pop, also called low brow art (low art), is an alternative artistic movement – outside the traditional canons– which usually surprises by its caricature-like images that can very well border on the grotesque, the absurd, black humor and mischief. This has been the case since its inception in Los Angeles (United States) in the 1960s, a time when it was little accepted by critics.
“Before, art was very elitist, only for museums… The fine arts rejected what came from caricatures, comics, urban art… They saw it badly… But in the 80s, with punk rock (and other influences), it could be accepteduntil it reached exhibitions in the best museums in the world”, indicates the Iván Casanova Giler from Guayaquil.
Therefore, Casanova now is visibly proud to have the first pop surrealist gallery that, in addition to surprising for his style, It has the characteristic of showing works in three dimensions. A) Yes, with the use of special lenses, his caricatured figures seem to escape from the walls and canvases to provide an unprecedented experience in Guayaquil, according to what he points out. “That effect becomes quite an experience.”
achieves that visual sensation through his technique with Posca brand markersspray paint and fluorescent tones, which he has developed for more than a decade as a muralist, capturing his work throughout Ecuador, in addition to Peru and Colombia.
Fame for his murals caused people to want to buy his works in small formats, which motivated him, on December 15, to open his own art gallery. to market her canvases and merchandise with her designs, such as bikinis ($35), leggings and t-shirts ($25), all under the brand Uzz Citrus. also receive orders for custom work and continues with his murals, which is obvious when looking at the unusual designs that Iván has captured on the walls of his premises, from where, in addition, he sends works to New Jersey to be successfully marketed, through a friend who admires his talent.
peacemaking art
Iván is a self-taught artist who nurtured his aesthetic taste as a child through various sources, such as comics and unusual characters from trading cards Garbage Pail Kids (1985) and the animated series Beavis and Butt-Head (MTV, 1992-1997), influences that allowed him to develop an irreverent style.
The northern Urdesa neighborhood is one of the areas with the greatest presence of his murals, but, as he adds, the work that gave him the most recognition is displayed in the exterior and interior spaces of the immense Lost Beach Clubin Montañita, considered one of the most famous for electronic music in South America.
“Muralism has great social power. In Miami there was a program called Wynwood Walls, in which urban artists painted murals in a dangerous district that is now quiet and touristic”, he explains about a reaction that he also observed in Guayaquil.
“Some years ago I painted a giant ant on a wall near the Facso. It was a dark place where there was crime. But with the mural it became a visited place where people take pictures and make music videos. Everything changed”, says the also leader of the punk band 69 Seconds and nephew of the artist Gustavo Giler. Therefore he considers that urban art can be a way to bring peace to dangerous neighborhoods in Guayaquil. “Art can deliver a lot to society.”
Iván Casanova Gallery: Lomas de Urdesa, first hill and first street No. 808. Open from Monday to Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and from Thursday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Instagram: @artivancasanova, cell: 097-860-7196. Visitor income: $3.
Source: Eluniverso
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