Beyond the Streets

The urban artist prompts the observer to question preestablished rules and to reflect on issues like the use of new technologies for social control

After becoming one of the most prominent graffiti artists in Spain in the 1980s, SpY began exploring different forms of communication, giving shape to a distinctive and recognizable style. His work involves a playful appropriation of urban elements to awaken in spectators “an enlightened conscience,” in the artist’s own words.

Light is a constant element in his work: in Lighthouse a green beam connected two ends of Madrid, and in Barrier five high-powered red lasers created a conceptual line crossing the coast of Ostend. His singular aesthetic world is built upon a careful attention to context, composing a unique and stunning oeuvre.