Over the years we never tried to hide the fact we're massive fans of Octavi Arrizabalaga, better known in the art world as Aryz. From his game-changing murals over impressive studio works to the recent blend of these two practices through the creation of giant-scale cutout paintings, the Spanish artist has been continuously pushing the boundaries. Of his work primarily, but as a well renowned and respected artist worldwide, the boundaries for his contemporaries as well.
We were happy to get a first look at the new video that the Juxtapoz cover artist recorded and produced during the recent months of confinement together with the producer Peter Doering of Beech Studios. Again, taking an opportunity to challenge himself and his work, the short feature is revolving about Aryz' creative process in his day to day life and the ways he is experiencing his practice. The video takes us on a tour through his new studio which enabled him to work on an impressive scale during the past year, but more importantly, we get to hear him openly reflecting on the constant battle that is art-making, which according to him, is full of changes and doubts.
After long months of solitary work in the studio, away from travels or gallery openings, Aryz has decided it's time for organization, identification, and interpretation of his own sensory information and thoughts, in order to be able to continue his practice at an exciting pace and level. Aside from giving us a great insight into the artist's way of thinking and perceiving his process, the video also captures him working on El Auxilio, an 8-meter-high piece that was shown inside the Ostend Conservatory building in Belgium as part of The Crystal Ship by night. It's the continued questioning and challenging of his own perception which keeps on pushing him to reinvent himself and come up with new concepts such as these large-scale installations that allow him to interact with space and play with its size. —Sasha Bogojev
