THIS WEEK’S MUSE
PEJAC
“What inspires me most are human beings, in their brightest and darkest moments and the relationships in the world we’re in.
Pejac is a Spanish artist whose surreal, amusing, and thought-provoking work is primarily created in the street as outdoor public murals. He sees his work as a way to make political and social commentary and to connect with communities.
Born Silvestre Santiago in 1977, Pejac grew up in Santander, a historic Spanish port city close to the Pyrenees mountains and the French border. His preference for creating street art ignited while at university in Italy.
He was disillusioned with the attitudes of his art teachers who felt good art was only to be found in galleries or museums. In reaction to their elitism, he started working in the streets of Milan to bring his art directly to the people.
“The reason I enjoy creating artwork on the street is because of the freedom I have to do it. All my work is self-produced, and I remain independent from any gallery.”
Pejac mainly paints in blacks to allow his silhouetted figures and shadows to stand out against the concrete and stone of the buildings and structures he uses as his canvas.
Sometimes he adds splashes of color, to emphasize an idea or stress a narrative.
From a distance his work can look like “memories set in a dreamscape,” but close-up can tell a different story.
His work almost always addresses social-economic themes and confronts contemporary issues such as the environment, social freedom, and politics.
“I approach these themes because for me they define the world we live in,” he says. “I feel strongly that the issues need to be confronted.”
“The thing I love most about urban art is that the improvisation isn’t in your work, but in the street itself.”
Pejac draws our attention to critical issues through his artistic approach and uses the power of art to provoke and shape change.
Creativity is one of our most powerful tools to raise awareness of the severity of the issues we are facing.
His paintings convey a world both natural and man-made that is seeing seemingly irreparably damaged: an oily stain on the world map trickles down a drain, a lonely fisherman sitting in an ocean of dead fish, or a forest of humanoid trees butchering themselves with axes.
His work can be a stark reminder that we’ve seen ourselves get “lost in this empty mist” with only self-destruction as a goal.
“For me, art it is not a way to escape from the world conflicts but to actually connect with them.”
HAPPENING
Four Tuesdays, November 8, 15, 22, 29. 2–4:30pm
PASTEL PAINTING: FROM STILL LIVES TO INTERIORS
With Betsy Payne Cook
Dive into pastel painting and uncover your new creativity!
$140 – Member, $160 – Non-Member
DETAILS & TICKETS