euskalkultura.eus

NOELBP. I had the great pleasure to spend some time with him and to experience closely his fabulous artstyle. For me, he’s one of the most creative Spanish artists of this time and someone for you to discover and I hope to appreciate his work. “Un abrazo amigo

Can you tell us a bit more about your artist name?

My artist name is my real name, it’s a typical Basque name. In Basque mythology, Asier is the first man, a kind of Adam, like Adam and Eve. It is not a common name in Spain so I found it good enough to keep as an artist name …

Where you are from?

I am from Trintxerpe, a fisherman village of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country, north of Spain.

Where are you based now?

Since 2014 I have been living in El Bierzo (north-west of Spain).

How and when did you discover art and create your first artworks?

Although I am Basque I grew up in Madrid, in La Ventilla, a working neighbourhood in the north of the capital city. There I discovered graffiti art by watching the creation of artworks by those such as Suso33, Spy, Copiaba his letters!…. his dolls … although it is hard to believe at that time there was no Internet!!!! Back then, I was taking pictures of his art pieces, afterwards returning home and creating my own sketches.

The first piece I did was in 1996 in Trintxerpe, it was summer, it was raining a lot, the paint was dripping … …horrible! However, afterwards more pieces followed and I felt I was catching up … and still so today!

Where was your first mural? Is it still available to see today?

My first mural was in an area of Madrid, it has been painted there for more than 30 years, though still looks young, I did not know anything and I remember that I was playing the bass in a metal group and I went along with the singer to paint. We painted the name of the group between flames … though unfortunately, this piece cant be seen anymore, that area is a kind of hall of fame and the pieces did not last very long …

Do you paint with spray cans or do you use any other techniques?

I’m a graffiti writer so I do not paint with anything else … in many jobs, I use plastic paint to get textures, pens to do calligraphy, stencils for letters … but I always use the spray.

Do you primarily paint murals or do you paint on other canvas?

Yes, I started painting directly on walls, now I’ve also been locked in the studio preparing paintings for exhibitions, proving myself, playing, learning, enjoying …

If you can describe yourself, would you say you’re a Street Artist, a writer, an artist … or something else.

“I don´t do graffiti, I don´t write my name, I don´t do muralism, I don´t decorate the murals, I’m not a painter, I don´t do Street art, post graffiti or neo-graffiti, I don´t do exhibitions of urban art, I don´t do art because I’m not an artist, I’m simply a painter … ”

Where do you get your inspiration?

I am inspired by life, news, wars, injustices, lack of love, respect … the inspiration I find in newspapers, radio, television, inspiration is everywhere.

Where can we discover your murals around the world?

The large murals, the building facades I have been painting for two years or more and are all in the surrounding area of where I live, Ponferrada, La Bañeza,… though I have also painted illegal or more pure graffiti walls in Germany, Amsterdam, Switzerland, France, London, Italy …

What is your personal favourite mural artwork?

I do not have one in particular, I always enjoy when I prepare murals, when I develop the concept and above all when I am in front of the wall “when we are alone it and I”, with its complications, problems etc … when I finish my work and then take a picture of the completion it’s the best, but just for a short moment and then I await the next one. Actually, maybe there is one artwork i should put as a favourite. One i painted with this message “The only race is the human race”.

Did you collab with other artists?

I always liked to paint alone. For me painting is a kind of therapy, to take out the trash I carry inside that torments me. Although I have been painting with a lot of writers, especially when we go to paint at night, to paint roads, or often at weekends we are together with a group of friends, ready to paint the story of how our life goes …

Do you have any artists you would like to collab with in the future?

I admire many writers but I do not feel the need to paint with them, I think that an artist and their life as a person is separate. Over the years I have known writers i considered as “Gods” and when i painted with them i felt we were very different and didn’t fit with each other at all.
I prefer to paint with a beginner or with someone who has nothing to do with me but who enjoys doing what he does, who is humble.

Do you have a “favourite” city where you love to paint?

I especially love the times I’ve painted in Paris, the subway tunnels, the writers there create graffiti in a very intense way, Paris is rap …

Is there a dream place around the world you would like to go for a mural artwork?

If Donald Trump finally builds the wall to separate Mexico from the United States I would like to be able to paint it and put in large letters TRUMP YOU ARE THE SHAME OF A HUMAN BEING.

Do you have any exhibitions and upcoming art fests in the future?

At the moment I do not have dates closed, but next year I have several festivals negotiated and a pair of solo shows in France too.

Thank’s a lot. Would you like to add anything else to Streetart360 readers?

Thanks to you for giving the “strangers” the possibility that the world knows our work and the readers alike, thank you because they make this move forward, in constant evolution.I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those restless photographers who dedicate their free time, their vacations to photograph our work and share it with the world.

Asier Links: Facebook page – Website 

(see Asier's paintings in the original article)