As you may be aware by now, there exists a huge urban art community in Spain. Moreover, artists use many different resources and techniques. For example, street art on paper is just one of them!
We may observe as contemporary art festivals around the world usually include in their roster street artists names. These creators do not only work with spray paint, but also with digital/handmade designs that are glued in walls.
Today’s article will dig into the paste-up and wheatpaste scene in Madrid. Let’s see how many of those illustrations would you be able to recognize. Pay attention now as you will be able to identify those names that were unfamiliar for you up to this moment.
- Local wheatpaste artists in Madrid
- International paste-ups artists who visited the Spanish capital city
- How do you make wheatpaste street art?
Let’s discover the best street art paper in Madrid!
Firstly, you should know that paste-ups are considered as ephemeral street art paper. Why? It’s simple. Imagine that you glue an artwork in a wall which is not covered by a roof or any other surface, it’s more than likely that it will disappear because of the rain.
As a consequence, some of the article’s quoted wheatpastes might have disappeared. You should take into account that this article was written on 14th May 2020, but it’ll still help you locate the artists and follow them on Instagram.
Who are the local artists that any urban art lover should get to know?
Javier works as a local street art guide in Madrid and he will show you the names that you should follow in Instagram. Mr. García started Cooltourspain as a small social, cultural and educational project, but the organization grew and he hosts over 3,000 visitors per year.
These are the artists that he would recommend you to spot while walking on the streets:
1-. Jimbo de la Ghetto
If you walked around the city and spotted an African American figure, you probably know who are we talking about. Jimbo de la Ghetto is a local madrileño street art artist (the name that citizens who were born and raised in the city receive).
He loves reggae, roots & the ska culture. That is to say, antifascist! We love that as it goes along with our core philosophy. Cooltourspain proudly supports artists who believe in equity.
You might have also seen his artworks with spray paint at La Tabacalera or around Lavapiés, one of the most multicultural districts in town.
2-. Por Favor
Have you ever seen a wheatpaste with the figure of a nurse? Yes, we refer to the professional workers within the health industry.
Por Favor is a local street art artist who loves creating paper based street art, although he does create stencils too. The most repeated of his artworks is a female nurse, but we have also seen Gata Cattana. This songwriter, feminist and poet passed away in 2017 and his paste-ups are a present to her!
Furthermore, you should know that he collaborates with a local street art workshop called El Keller. This atelier is located at La Tabacalera. Their different members will teach you everything about urban art every Tuesday from 6.00PM at Calle Embajadores, 53.
3-. Dos Jotas
Another artist to take into account is Dos Jotas. When we talk about the street art in Madrid, his name pops up into our minds. Why? He is a specialist on the field. Have you ever seen the alterations he creates on street signs/posts?
He disrupts the original messages created by the city council, adding a controversial message. For example, the above image shows as the local governing bodies are spying individuals on the streets without individuals’ permission.
4-. Take the topo
TTT uses art and design to potentially reinvent the urban landscape and people’s thoughts. He works as a graphic designer and illustrator. Take the Topo believes in art as a powerful communicative and reflexive tool.
Topo loves playing along with its viewers. If you have ever wondered about who is behind this artist, then you probably participated in his hunting game. How many wheatpastes created by ‘Take the Topo’ did you recently find in the streets?
5-. Seven Logos
This black bass fisherman loves creating paste-ups too. Seven is another wheatpaste artist who has covered Madrid corners with his illustrations.
At the beginning he tagged using his real name, but his love for number ‘7’ changed everything. At the moment, he works commission based and elaborates amazing stencils using several layers.
If you walked around Malasaña or Lavapies these past years, it’s more than likely that you stepped into any of his handmade street art paper.
6-. Will Yakome
Will comes from Guayaquil (Ecuador) but most of his artistic career has been developed in Madrid. If you have stumbled upon the image of a Native American pasted on the streets, you’ve definitely recognized who this artist is.
He uses this figure to criticize the systematic destruction that is currently taking place in the world’s largest river & rainforest.
What is happening at this exact moment in my home country is that the Indigenous culture is disappearing because of human action and its global consequences. We should also take into account that the rich biodiversity that exists in the Amazon will disappear forever. Could we let it happen?
Will Yakome, street art paper artist in Madrid
Yakome thinks that we are required to act now! There exists a common responsibility. We do not only support the Amazon’s protection, but also the inhabitants who take care of it. They need to be heard!
International creators who came to visit Madrid.
Similarly to what we do with local artists’ support, we are interested that you learn about those international street artists names who ever came to visit Madrid.
These are renowned creators. It’s a real pleasure for the urban art community in town to feature their artworks in our streets. Let’s see who they are. You probably know some of them! Don’t you?
7-. C215
Christian Guemy is a French artist popularly known as C215. His street art paper illustrations are created using markers, stencils and wheatpaste.
This famous Parisian loves showing things and people that global societies keep hiding for no reason, but due to his fame he has also painted several celebrities in the streets. For instance, we have observed in his Instagram homeless people and street kids.
8-. Misterio de Cultura
Everything is a mystery when we talk about this three people crew. Moreover, few things are shared on the internet about them. It’s quite difficult to know more insider details without any reference.
What we know as a fact is that Tebo, a Galician born contemporary abstract artist, is its most visible member. He does things with shapes and colors.
Misterio de Cultura pasted up some of their advertisements around Lavapiés district. Did you find any of them around Calle Argumosa?
9-. Adam Cost
The story of Adam Cole is similar to the ones of many other graffiti writers. In other words, he has been prosecuted for years by police officers and city councils alike.
He started ‘bombing’ New York city during the 80’s pasting up street art paper. What was his purpose? Only the graffiti community knows about that.
Some of the most famous pasteup & wheatpaste artworks created by Adam Cost are:
- Cost fucked Madonna
- Curb your ego
- Cost was here/ Cost is dead
Cooltourspain’s favourite street art paper
Patricia, Gerardo and Javier are the three current team members working at Cooltourspain. They love investigating about the urban art in town. Their experience on the field will offer you more details about their favourite wheatpaste crew.
10-. Yipi Yipi Yeah
Last but not least, we’ll find the triple Y crew. Yipi Yipi Yeah is their name. This duo makes street art paper visible in Madrid. The thing is that they do it in different sizes and formats.
They are famous for redecorating the urban landscape. How do they do it? Check their website or Instagram to discover the amount of traffic signs that they have turned into artistic decorations.
How do you make wheatpaste street art?
You could easily create wheatpaste at home. You don’t need to be an expert on the field, but you’ll have to try several times in order to get the perfect mix. To create this homemade mixture, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- White or whole-grain wheat flour,
- Water
- Cornstarch/ egg whites
What’s the process to create street art paper glue?
Before giving you the tips on how to elaborate your own street art paper glue, you need to take into account how many paste-ups you will be using for a given circumstance.
You should follow these instructions:
- Measure 2 cups of flour (approximately 240 grams),
- Put this first ingredient in a large bowl,
- Add 3 cups of water,
- Mix both ingredients with a kitchen rod,
- Bring the mixture in a casserole and bring it to boil.
- Add any extra water if required
- Let it stir in the fridge
- Ready to use!
How to wheatpaste without getting caught?
This is the question that many amateur artists usually ask themselves. However, there exists no right answer for that. If your are looking into pasting up your creations in the streets without getting caught by police forces, there exists some rules to follow:
- Do never go on your own. Always use a buddy as informer in the surroundings.
- Have all materials ready: street art paper, wheatpaste and the long stick to paste up your artwork.
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