URBAN SCULPTURES

Jana & Js are a well-established duo: Jana, from Austria, and JS, from France, have been collaborating since 2006 to develop a visual language that is equally at home in public spaces and exhibition halls. Inspired by the city and its architecture as it changes over time, as well as by its residents and observers, they spray-paint urban landscapes, architectural details, and portraits in a play of reflections and transparencies.In their images, they explore the human condition within the urban environment: Against backdrops of densely packed architectural landscapes, they depict individuals who appear at once lost and isolated, yet also searching, yearning, and hopeful. At its core, Jana & Js’ work focuses on transience, the physical dimension of time, and the emotional relationship city dwellers have with their ever-changing urban surroundings.They work using a multi-layered stencil technique in the Artiste-Ouvrier style—developed collaboratively within the WCA (Working Class Artists) collective—using exclusively their own photographs as templates. In addition to painting, the artist couple also creates sculptures from wood and metal: complex, interlocking facade elements onto which they paint house fronts reminiscent of honeycombs.Jana was born in Salzburg in 1985, and JS in Paris in 1981. After spending many years in Madrid and Paris, Jana & JS now live and work in Salzburg. Their works have been exhibited in public spaces and at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin, among other places.

Robots are the recurring theme in Pixelpancho’s work. He describes what drives him:“I am driven by a forgotten world hidden beneath a thick layer of dust and dirt. There, robots exist as a creation of humankind, dented and worn, a symbiosis of the organic and the inorganic, whose rusted iron is falling apart. Full of dreams, wishes and hopes.” – Pixelpancho (translated)A Forgotten WorldIn his surreal visual world, humans, puppets and robots merge into images that allude to major commercial brands, superheroes and well-known pop icons. All of them are subject to constant change, and their decay is looming. His work convinces not only through its striking motifs but also through a distinctive style that draws on many different sources. Traces of Joaquín Sorolla, Salvador Dalí, the political painting group El Equipo Crónica, Ron English and Takashi Murakami can be seen in his work.From Academy to StreetPixelpancho was born in Turin in 1984. His grandfather, who painted occasionally, introduced him early to colour and form. He studied at the Accademia Albertina di Belle Arti in Turin and completed his degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Valencia. There he encountered the graffiti and street art scenes. He began working on outdoor surfaces with spray cans and markers, which set him apart from fellow students who worked on paper and canvas. Travelling between Turin and Valencia, he seized every opportunity to be seen on the street, on tiles, walls, stickers and posters.Festivals and the International SceneOn numerous trips, Pixelpancho took part in festivals and showed his work in exhibitions. He is considered one of the leading figures of the Italian urban art scene, which has developed around artists such as Blu, Ericailcane, the Fame Festival and Studio Chromie.

Born in Elche in 1980, the Spanish artist SAM3 is best known for his silhouette-like murals. Many are as tall as a house and relate directly to their urban surroundings. His works are ironic, poetic and above all provocative.Shadows on the WallThe figures he calls “shadows” are black, anonymous and often as tall as a building. They merge with their surroundings and allow for many readings. Reduced to a few colours and a graphic style, they have an unusual presence. Precisely because of their simplicity, they invite viewers to engage, and their message unfolds only step by step.Symbols, Figures and MetamorphosesHis figures are shaped by figurative elements that undergo metamorphoses with their surroundings. SAM3 works with symbols such as roots and ladders. Figures with oversized heads are typical of his style. His motifs take up classic philosophical themes, question everyday habits and refer to current social debates.From Graffiti to Monumental PaintingSAM3 began with graffiti in the 1990s. Today he paints murals in more than ten countries. He lives and works between Murcia and Madrid and paints worldwide. Often he creates not just individual pictures but whole stories, which he tells in experimental stop-motion short films. Alongside painting, he works with sculpture, ceramics and drawing.Festivals and ProjectsIn 2007 SAM3 took part in Banksy’s project Santa’s Ghetto in Bethlehem. His works have been created at festivals including the Fame Festival in Grottaglie, the Outdoor Festival in Rome and the Memorie Urbane Festival in Gaeta.Exhibitions with Pretty PortalIn 2010 Pretty Portal presented his solo exhibition Nice to meet you. In 2016 SAM3 curated the exhibition SWEETASH. In 2023 he was part of the group exhibition ENIGMA together with REMED.