Enoc Perez’s paintbrushless architecture

“Viewers captivated by Pérez’s seductive imagery might also be taken with the artist for an entirely different reason: his idiosyncratic, strictly brushless technique. Until recently Pérez had not picked up a paint brush in 20 years. Instead, his custom had been to make a preparatory drawing on paper for each color to appear in the finished work, apply oil paint to the back of these sheets, and then hold them up to the canvas. At this point he traced over the sketches so that the paint stuck, effectively drawing the image onto the canvas.”

Favela Intervention

The street art collective Boa Mistura see their work as an urban intervention, that utilises the digital technologies of 3D perspective onto the haphazard landscape of the favelas of São Paulo, Brazil.  These site specific color field paintings project an optical illusion - viewed from a specific angle and distance, white text spelling out words such as ‘beleza’ (beauty) and ‘orgulho’ (pride) seem to float in midair.  The group worked with residents to cover corners and passageways with vibrant colours in the shanty town and painstakingly detail every lightpole, brick, and pipe with the white lettering.

“We like to feel the place, talk with the local people, breath the atmosphere and be inspired before start working,” Purone said. “Because when you make a street intervention, it is linked to a particular place, and you need to have dialog with the environment.” - Pablo Purone of Boa Mistura, 2001