Portfolio of the Week: El Bocho March 04, 2009

If you live in Berlin or have been there recently, you've probably seen the colorful, cheeky, and sardonic work of El Bocho decorating city walls, bridges, and traffic lights. While some of El Bocho's work depicts graceful, mosaic female figures, he is just as likely to mock popular views about Berlin with talking surveillance cameras and other cartoon-like creatures. He's just as successful in a gallery setting as he is out on the street, and now he's our latest Portfolio of the Week. MINI Space: Your work about urban life has become renowned far beyond the borders of your home in Berlin. What do you think are the specific characteristics of your style that keep people interested in you? El Bocho: Communication is the most important thing for me. The viewer must be able to identify the artist from a distance - this is the way to draw his attention to the image at first. Every work is different and unique. If I use the same motif twice, there will still be a slight modification that changes everything. It's also important for me to communicate with the image as myself at different artistic periods. When I look at my work after some years, it still tells me stories about the city and my techniques in the past. MINI Space: Your art is full of the faces and facial characteristics of women. They obviously play a big inspirational role in your work. El Bocho: I think the idea of urban romanticism can be described more intensely through the thoughts of women. With my works I give the viewer a little hint of an unknown human being in order to create an urban story with his own fantasy. I guess, women will understand this better but maybe men will be learn to be more open to this urban and sometimes tragic world of thought. MINI Space: From time to time, the surveillance cameras "Kalle" and "Bernd" appear in your works. What's the story behind them? El Bocho: Nowadays, everyone gets mad about cameras. I feel sorry for them, because the problem isn't the cameras but the human beings who use them! Through their funny way of interacting with humans and their surroundings, "Kalle" and "Bernd" evoke attention and sympathy. It's not their fault! MINI Space: You employ a special billposting technique - how does it work? El Bocho: I'm experimenting with paper and its characteristics during weather and insulation. This makes the placard more vivid. It ages and reacts with the environment. This is why I almost never work with quadrate placards; they have a disturbing effect and avoid any harmony with the environment. MINI Space: What do you think about the creative community in Berlin? El Bocho: Actually, I'm very disappointed in the creative scene in Berlin. There are so many wasted possibilities! Former street artists just display their works in galleries and avoid public spaces. I mean, galleries are okay, but not if you are a street artist who shows his work only at White Cube. MINI Space:  Your art has been spotted on the streets of Berlin for nearly twelve years - quite a long time for a street artist! Why do artists in the scene seem to move so quickly through it and away from it? El Bocho: It's just such a big effort: Painting placards, creating ideas, getting outside in the cold with a bucket of glue only to realize after a few days, that the "special" glue actually wasn't so special.... It's hard to take over a long period of time! You need the right allies and fortunately, I have them. MINI Space: You've gotten in touch with new people here at MINI Space. What do you like about the website? How important is it for you to communicate directly with your viewers? El Bocho: Well, I've met really creative people here, just fantastic! I really appreciate the exchange opportunity it provides and I'm happy about every contact. MINI Space: What are you working on now, and what do you have planned? El Bocho: This year I'm planning various trips, to an individual exhibition in Beijing, for example. It will be a big challenge to address people there with placards on the streets because they aren't used to that and have a different perception of what it means. I'm very curious about what will happen. Related Links El Bocho's Website