Our next Artist Spotlight article features Bjorn Martin, a street artist who is driven by the thrills of free expression that his art offers.
Born in Chile to a Spanish father and a Colombian-German mother, Bjorn Martin's upbringing was diverse and allowed the artist to draw inspiration from a variety of cultures and experiences. "At the risk of sounding cliché, I don’t really remember ever choosing art," he explains when asked about how his practice began. "It just seemed like the obvious choice. Nowadays I’m very fortunate to be in a position where I can be very creatively engaged in both my professional and personal practice."
Rebellion. Escapism. Non-conformity. These are the words that come to Martin's mind when asked to consider what great art is to him, and he sees these concepts echo throughout his practice. "I used to heavily pursue art from a technical point of view, but got quite disillusioned with realism. Lately I’ve been trying to be a lot looser and visceral in my work, and take it back to how it all began: by having fun with it."
This is where street art comes in. "Street art has not only given me an amazing platform to showcase my work, but also a conduit into a community of other likeminded creatives that I get to call my friends and go painting with. Best of both worlds!"
The charity initiative was a source inspiration for Bjorn as well. "Artscope is such a great cause to be working with. I was very lucky to have been put in touch with Kate via my friend Jordon Blake, who is also exhibiting at Artscope: id Ukraine 2023. Kate and I sat down one evening and talked about the project, and what we both wanted from it. When she explained what it was all about, I felt even more determined to be a part of it. I can’t pretend to understand what the citizens of Ukraine are going through, but if I can be of any help, especially when help is so very clearly needed, then I am honoured to be in a position to be able to do some good. It's brilliant that art can help to initiate change."
For more information on Bjorn Martin, please browse the links below. Be sure to visit our Artist Spotlight pages for all of our participants, and email kate@artscopeintl.com for all information regarding the project.
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