Interview with street artist Nelio

Along with those of London and Paris, the walls of Melbourne have been the primary protagonists of street art in the 21st century. Slapping color onto the face of urban greyness in the last 14 years is French artist Nelio, who starting getting serious with it precisely in Melbourne.

The ingredients that carry his signature when covering walls are a mix of illustration, lettering, architecture and graphic design. All deconstructed into a playful fluorescent explosion. Each element was brewing in Nelio ever since he was a teenager. It was a trip to Melbourne and the encounter with its lively street scene that gave order to the pieces.

"I met many great artists in Melbourne, which pushed me to paint more and even do exhibitions there", says Nelio. "Before that I was just enjoying graphic design. But that trip and the people I met touched me both humanely and artistically. Melbourne’s community made me truly dedicate myself to art".

Today Nelio is 29 and lives and works in Lyon, when he isn’t travelling around the world in search of new walls to paint.



How did you develop your painting technique?
I mostly use spray paint because it's fast, it can go on any surface and also because it’s so smooth. It's a great sensation when you use it.
On canvas and wood I mostly use acrylic and brush, because they allow me to do small details and also create my own colors, which is an important aspect of my art.



Street art comes with a thousand different facets to it. How would you describe your personal style?
It's graffiti-rooted, but more aware of art history, and mostly influenced by graphic design, architecture and childhood.


Street art was born over forty years ago with a subversive spirit. Today, what messages (if any) are you trying to convey through your work?
My objective when making art in the street is to give people an alternative to advertising and a grey wall. Try to make them smile, think or at least escape from the sad reality of the actual world for a moment. I also try to spark a debate on important issues like freedom of expression, ownership, civil disobedience, free will. The message is that the street should belong to everybody and not only to rich building owners and corrupt administration. It's not because somebody tells you what to do that you have to listen and shut up. If you think a law is stupid then don't respect it, we are not sheep, everybody is entitled to his own opinion on what is good or bad.
Freedom of expression is being increasingly controlled in the media, even the internet, and in some countries it’s completely censored. The street is the best place to express yourself when you want to say something. It can be with art (visual, music, performance), demonstrations or riots. Civil disobedience in some cases is a necessary act. The power must be with the people, and the street should belong to the community. It should be a place for meeting, debating, creating, living and having fun. Not a place where everything is forbidden and under video surveillance.



Without African totems perhaps we wouldn't have had cubism by Picasso, Matisse and Braque. What art or imagery is fundamental in your artwork?
I like to see my artwork as a unknown language which can come from the past or the future, from humanity or any other civilization. For this reason I'm really attracted to primitive art, where you can find amazing abstract representations of the world. I also love the alphabet and symbols of old civilizations like the ancient Egyptians, the Maya. I have also been influenced by "futuristic" movements such as Suprematism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, De Stijl, Bauhaus, Op Art...



In your illustrations there's both complexity and playfulness: three-dimensional or Escher-like spaces with fluorescent colors and primitive geometrical components...
When I'm creating I feel like I'm playing, and it's good if people can see this in my final piece. We shouldn’t all be so serious all the time, but rather be able to preserve some of the energy from our childhood.
The complexity maybe comes from my background as a graphic designer and my early mathematics studies. Also from my interest in paradox, contrast, abstraction, and fake reality. You mentioned Escher, to me he is the master, so I guess it's logical there may be some influences from him in my paintings.



Could you describe the process of making "La Palissade" during the Bien Urbain Festival ?
It was a good time spent with my friends TBLR*one and Zerozedrip. We first made some sketches on paper, then reproduced them on the fence. We calculated the size of some parts to insert wood constructions in them. We collected wood found in the street and worked in a basement to build the parts, then we added them progressively to the fence. Using wood is really great, it has more depth and texture, but it is also very strong. I think if we had used only spray paint we would have finished the wall in 2 or 3 days, but working some of the details in wood took us a week.



What's in you artist's tool box?
Mostly spray cans, pen, brush, roller, screwdriver, hammer.


Often your work overlaps with that of other artists. Who are you currently collaborating with and what links you to their projects?
I love to collaborate with other artists, it helps develop my artwork and it's good training to see if it can take new directions. I try to adapt to people I'm working with, it's always a challenge to make something homogeneous, especially if our styles are very different.
With my good friend Zerozedrip it was hard to work together at the beginning because his style is very illustrative and the technique he uses is very different to mine. But it was good for both of us to get inspired by each other and finally figure out this cool collaboration. I'm proud of the exhibition we did together last year and particularly the artwork "Epidémie".
With THTF it's easier to collaborate because our styles are more similar. Another good friend with whom I like to paint is TBLR*one.
Graffiti is a really cool movement, it's like a big family and when you travel you can always meet local artists who are keen to paint a wall and give you some tips on the city.








Photos via www.flickr.com/photos/neli0/