Axel Void

What did you do in Berlin?
There wasn't really a reason to move to Berlin, I just thought it might be nice. I guess I moved because it was a bigger city and more interesting, and Sevilla was getting to feel a little closed. Sevilla is a very comfortable place, very cultural. It has things, but it's very monotone somehow. I had different ideas of Berlin, which also ended up not being as I've expected. 

How come?
I'm pretty pessimistic [laughs]. Actually, I try to make a fair judgement with things, but people tell me my judgement is generally pessimistic. I mostly lived in this punk house called 78 on a street with a bunch of punk houses. I like to put myself in interesting social or anthropological situations, and that definitely was one. Fifty people were living there, some straight-up punks, pseudo-fascist, but there were really nice people too. We would also take refugees or travelers. Crazy mix. But for me, it was the place itself. I don't wanna say Germany cause I've been to other places and it wasn't so hostile, but there was a certain hostility every time I went out in Berlin. What I did love there, and I really, really did, was my soccer team. That was kind of what kept me there. That and the people in my squat house.

Do you think that moving around a lot has influenced your work and how you see things?
Definitely. I've been moving since I can remember, and the longest time I spent was in Cadiz. And even there, every year we would move to a different house. 

Wow! How come you were moving so much?
For some reason my mom and I liked it. And also I guess we found better deals, or sometimes we got kicked out ’cause we were trouble [laughs]. I just bought a house now, which is very strange. I'm already planning to leave!

At what point did you discover your interest in painting?
I've always been interested in painting, I guess as much as a kid is normally. But I was a really nerdy kid. I mean, not nerdy in a sense of how other people portray it. I was kind of a bad kid.

So a bad nerd? Nerd with attitude.
Yeah, I was a nerd with attitude! I always liked painting because I had it around me. My grandfather was a great painter, and my great grandfather as well. He was the painter for Franco, and he also did painting for royalty in Europe. He was a wild child. Also on my mother's side, my grandmother was a painter as a hobby. She painted memories of Haiti without ever using an image. It was kind of this longing or "saudade" for Haiti and the Virgin Islands. So I was always around it and I always wanted to improve my skills.

When did you start painting in the street?
At the edge of 12, I was skateboarding when I met this kid who had a spray can, which you couldn't get in Cadiz at the time. He just came to us and did a tag. Typical scene, like in the movies. I even remember what color it was—rojo fiebre, which is fiber red. So we went straight to the hardware shop and bought one of those cheap car paints and went crazy. We were in the newspaper every other day. 

Maybe it was when I painted a wall in Cadiz for a friend who passed away, Piki. I did a wall that was a little story of him in his neighborhood that is still there, untouched, untagged. Later on, I was painting under a bridge in Sevilla when I met some people living there. They were from Romania and Ukraine, so I wrote their names and "I am somebody.” It wasn't much, but it made me feel interested in where I am painting and talking about where I am. And then it just grew with time.

Do you think that those dark subjects got you into Dismaland? 
From the interaction I had, Banksy just seemed to like the work I do, and I don't think it's necessarily because it's dark. But the nature of Dismaland was somewhat satirical, of a dismal, trashy theme park, and he definitely tried to curate people who would give a different sense to a "happy place.” I was really happy to participate, though I didn't like the wall cause it was difficult, hard to paint. Once I got there, though, I was really honored, especially learning that it was the main wall. 

It was really nice to have that acceptance and trust. Banksy spent a ridiculous amount of money on doing something badass and funny, which made me feel respectful and flexible about the whole wall thing, so I wanted to make it work with everything else. I knew I had to create something dark, somehow metaphoric or poetic, and somewhat critical.

Do you think that public works should generally carry a message with the intent to engage?
I don't think there should be a right way to do things. This is getting a bit metaphysical, but I don't believe in good or bad. For instance, murdering someone. I don't think murder is wrong as stated in the Ten Commandments. Everything depends on the moment and the context. I do think that the sole purpose of art is reaching people and it is a strong way to touch people. Storytelling was part of our history since we started painting in the caves, so I like that approach, and I wish it was more common. Graffiti, for instance, is just the piece. It's more about exposure, the action of doing it. All these newer things, like street art and murals, can help you share something with people, and start a dialogue or somehow express yourself.

You often base the work on old photographs, both ones where you know the backstory, as well as completely random ones. How come those resonate with you so strongly?
I always try to find an equilibrium of a good formal aspect and a good conceptual aspect. Of course, and this is something I discuss a lot with my artist friends, for me, concept comes first. Whatever it is. If you're gonna write a book, and you write really well but you don't have shit to say, I don't care how well you write. Your book is shit. But if you're gonna write and you're not such a good writer, but you find a way just to write it well enough to express a very good story, then I think your book will be good. Personal images, photos or videos all help me learn from people. Just talking isn't enough. I need something that is a piece of history, some point in time, a snapshot. 

Did you ever use your personal family photos as a reference?
I used to do that a lot because I have quite an interesting family, but I kind of stopped doing that for a while. Just recently, I started doing a painting of my mom and my dad when they had me, and I'm thinking of doing a show of my own family. 

I'm currently working on one about this girl's first time working in the porn industry. It was very awkward and not sexy at all. I wanna do it in a way that you can masturbate to it, which is kind of a "Fuck you" to the art world. I want art to be less of an elitist and snobbish thing, I want it to be general, working class or an everyday thing. So putting those two worlds together for me is pretty funny. Just the thought of someone masturbating in a gallery is pretty funny [laughs]. Maybe the guy masturbating to an awkward story is even funnier. Plus, it kind of devalues the painting.

What do you have planned for the coming months?
I have a few projects that I am excited about, but my real plan is focusing on making music again, sculpting, finishing some films and starting others, as well as curating and creating projects, aside from still doing walls and canvases. 

Do you have a feeling that you're provoking people and testing their tolerance level with your work?
I do feel that art should be thought provoking. For me, provoking is not inciting or something I'm trying to instigate, often it's just prodding a thought. As long as that happens, for me, it's a success. Often I try to incite a positive reaction, and not a very comfortable one. When you're in places of discomfort, you start to question things when the machine starts working. Revolution will never work if you're not hungry.

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