Cisco’s distinct style of tropical abstraction explodes off buildings like a kaleidoscope smashed against a brick wall. Playful, yet highly conceptual, his work embodies a childlike wonder for the primal power of colour to bring joy into people’s lives. Employing an ever evolving array of geometric shapes and symbols, Cisco first starting writing graffiti in Panama City in the ’90s and has continued to push the boundaries of lettering to create his own vocabulary of forms. Turning concrete into canvases, Cisco’s on a global mission to inject a dose of happiness into our lives.
This interview was written by James Buxton, interviews editor for Global Street Art, the largest street art community in the world, where artists and photographers can now create their own profiles and upload images.
I started painting at the end of 1998 in my house, just painting in my room. I was really influenced by skateboarding and graffiti, that’s when I first started doing tags and letters around the city. After finishing high school I began working in design and animation, which opened my eyes to other things. One thing guided me to another and I started to paint in more places and countries. Now I’ve been running in the street for 14 years. At the same time, I still do paintings and installation.
I started doing letters initially; eventually I began to cut these letters up and make landscapes and faces with them. Now I’m working with a vocabulary of forms inspired by typography and tropical nature. Most of the time I want to give off positives messages through my art to spread good energy.
When I stared painting, my brother and my cousin, SUMO, were working in a collective, that made everything more fun and interesting. Later, more friends and people started to influence me.
Originally, I studied at the University in Panama, but I feel like I’ve learnt everything in the street. I’m always pushing to paint more and do things that really make me happy. For me it’s about meeting people, exchanging experiences and having a good time.
I think your surroundings influence you a lot. I grew up in Panama City. Back in the day they used to paint buses with images influenced by Heavy Metal magazines mixed with traditional landscapes and crazy typography with messages about the popular slang of the people (Dealante, MAMI), all in neon with a crazy palette and mixed up with the backdrop of the jungle. I think this is one of the reasons why my work is so colourful. The world is so hard, let’s put some colour in it to make it better and be happy.
This year I arrived in the cool winter of Leipzig, Germany. For me, it’s a big contrast working here in my new studio. I have been traveling for the last three years and one day I was working from here. Here it’s more grey and cool but it’s a great place. I started to paint some paintings in black in the beginning but I didn’t understand. To be in another place of course influences your work, but it’s always good to change and try new things.
In Panama now a lot has changed since the ’90s. Before few writers were around and the police didn’t give it so much attention, now they’ve started to cover some pieces and busted some people, but there are still many places to paint legally or not. Now there are more stores to buy paint and materials, which helps people a lot. The new generation have more information with the Internet and there’s a larger community, which is great.
I’ve had amazing experiences painting in different countries and meeting new people. Every time it’s different and I make new friends. I just want to keep painting and spread what I am doing
I’m currently working in my studio for my show this year in Los Angeles and Panama and painting in the street here. I plan to go to Lyon and Paris to do some pieces soon and next year I’m planning a tour of Asia, that is my next goal, to discover this part of the world!
Read the original article on societeperrier.com
View available work from CISCO MEREL
