ANBI
1185
Artwork
Street art piece
Billie Holiday
Street Art Museum Amsterdam
Author:
Btoy
Artist Bio:
Btoy is one of the first women who stepped out onto the streets of Barcelonawith detailed multi-layered stencil art that playswith colour, light and shadow to create moody and powerful portraits. Born in Barcelona, Btoy is the child of social activists and refugees fleeing the dictatorial regime in Uruguay lasting from 1973-85. As a self-taught artist, she came to graffiti while completing a photography degree (and after abandoning studies in law), first playing with paste-ups on the streets of Barcelona in the early 2000’s. At that time, before it became the mass tourism hotspot it is today, a welcoming culture and low cost of living in Barcelona created fertile ground for those experimenting with graffiti, underground music, theater and art subcultures. It was in this setting that Btoy began to vigorously investigate feminism, stereotyped gender roles and identities, and to express her own identity through her work, choosing the streets as her medium for their freedom from convention, their hidden moods, memories, and stories.
Place:
Schiphol the Basis
Date:
2018
Technique:
Stencil
Material:
Electrical box
Acquisition:
Commission
Completed:
2018
Condition:
Good / Legible
Physical Description:
As commented in contemporary works such as 'Stephen Hawking' or 'Nelson Mandela', also in this work it is possible to appreciate a stylistic evolution in the detailing virtuosity that characterises the Spanish artist.
Iconography:
The work depicts the famous singer Billie Holiday. Multiculturalism and the fight against racism are among the predominant themes in the Spanish artist's social art. The artwork is made using the stencil technique, typical of the European street tradition. The use of the stencil allows Btoy to create overlapping layers of colour, through which he builds areas of chiaroscuro to give volumetric and realistic emphasis to his portraits. The forms are barely sketched, the detailing virtuosity is absent except for the eyes and the gaze of the singer.
Gallery
