One of the more exciting projects taking place in the urban art world in recent months was the groundbreaking art residency project organized by painter and muralist Axel Void through his newly established initiative, Void Projects. Fulfilling a long-time dream to create an independent art community based on comradery, mutual motivation and cooperation, Void teamed up with art agents Charlotte Pyatt and Elsa Guerra, as well as Jofre Oliveras from Konvent Zero Art Center, and launched the Creença (Belief) art residency in Catalunya, Spain. Over the course of two months, nearly 50 international artists traveled to the former 19th-century convent just outside Barcelona and stayed briefly, or up to a full 60 days, transforming the hallways, rooms, balconies and surrounding area of the impressive building into improvised studios. The result was a unique environment bursting with creative energy and the will to create.
It was invigorating to witness the power of direct, real-life cooperation of artists in the age of digital communication, as artists exchanged ideas, tricks and concepts, spontaneously collaborating and constantly pushing each other in new directions. Driven by nothing other than honest passion, the artists worked towards a large pop-up show that took place in late summer at nearby Konvent Zero. Displaying a wide range of works such as paintings, drawings, collages, photographs, sculptures and installations, with 100% of sales going directly to the artists, the Creença show set a standard for similar projects in the future. "My job was to convince people to come to this place, and then everything just happened,” Axel Void said. “For me, it was interesting to experience the sense of the community, a group, a circle that we built, some would say a family, from an emotional, professional, didactic and productive standpoint."
Now functioning as an operating entity, the Void Project community continues their program with a residency in Axel Void's house in Miami on a smaller scale but similar format as Creença. The participating artists in this program will include Amaya Suberviola, Ivan Floro, Elsa Guerra, Jofre Olivera, Reginald O’Neal (L.E.O.), Jonny Robles, Sebas Velasco, Sainer, Mikel Del Río and more. —Sasha Bogojev
This article was published in the Winter 2019 print edition of Juxtapoz. Get it here.
All photography by Ian Cox // @wallkandy
