Joan Tarragó: “Barcelona is a good breeding ground for artists”
Following the enormous success of his collaboration on the artistic identity of the Hotel REC, which included a representation of the old REC Comtal that featured a hidden keyhole, neon-lit doorways that allow us to enter the mural, and the ceiling design of the REC Lounge, Joan Tarragó (Barcelona,1981) has once again collaborated with Núñez i Navarro. This time for the project NN Shutters, creating two murals on shutters in calle Joanot Martorell, where Sants turns into Hostafrancs: “They are like a kind of portals that take us back to nature. Always with water, nature, and movement as the central axis of my work. In an organic and very watery way that creates a strong contrast with the straight lines and grids of the big city. I try to capture in my works the shapes of nature, especially aquatic ones, that I observe on my travels. My style is also characterized by very tight framing. As if it were a macro photo.”
The result was spectacular. For him, for us, and for the neighbors of Sants, who did not hesitate to ask and comment on the progress of his work. “That's the beauty of painting in the street. Being able to explain what you're doing and why. Moreover, in this project, the feedback was very positive. We were all very happy because that area is like a small village, with an ochre background, and they are delighted to receive art and color in their neighborhood.”
Indestructible and without complexes, Joan Tarragó always knew he wanted to dedicate himself to the world of art. “As a child, I painted on any surface, I painted everything. Even on the walls of my house”. It's no wonder he ended up studying Fine Arts. His artistic training includes illustration, graphic design, and urban art, which gives him a very eclectic and meticulous approach to contemporary art. Moreover, he complemented his knowledge by painting in the streets “because the career requires much more than just attending classes”.
But the tightening of regulations made him try new forms of creation, such as illustration, which emerged 'as a result of the anti-graffiti laws that were established at the European level in 2006. Fines for street painting went from 100€ to 3,000€. Graffiti was criminalized in a wild way. It forced us to already have the stencil made from home and paint quickly without getting caught.' Although the legislation is still in place, he is grateful that the permissiveness that existed in the city at the beginning of the 2000s has been recovered. 'Painting in the street for us is a necessity. We can't stop doing it. In my case, it's even therapeutic.'
According to Tarragó, the artistic scene in Barcelona is 'tremendous. There's a lot of local talent here. From abroad too. But especially local. Illustration, graffiti, mural... There are people with a lot of talent of all ages. Not just young people. I don't know why, but Barcelona is a good breeding ground for artists.' Keeping an eye on every artistic creation that is brewing in the city, he also highlights the rise of muralized shutters. 'There's a graffiti renaissance in Barcelona and this explosion of creativity is finding its way through the legal channel, which is the shutters.' Hence his recent collaboration with the NN Shutters project by Núñez i Navarro, which offers Barcelona's urban art artists the chance to paint on their most precious canvas, the street, in a controlled manner and with the intention of improving the environment for people in a fresh and creative way.
