PichiAvo are two street artists from Valencia appreciated and known worldwide for their distinctive style in which graffiti meets classical art.
PichiAvo: biography
PichiAvo, artists born in Valencia in 1977 Pichi and 1985 Avo, respectively, met in 2007 on the graffiti scene of the Spanish city and from that moment they started an artistic partnership that lasts to this day. Both studied Fine Arts and Design and, from a young age, formed themselves artistically by frequenting the Valencian urban scene. The PichiAvo share the idea of prioritizing the work of art, be it a mural or a work created in the studio, avoiding, as a result, artistic individualism.
PichiAvo: Valencia as a source of inspiration
The two Spanish urban artists chose Valencia as the vital hub of their creations, following their desire not to lose their roots and stay in close contact with their city. On more than one occasion, Pichi and Avo have said how inspiring their creativity is the atmosphere in Valencia on a daily basis, particularly during the period of Las Fallas (traditional festivities that take place every year from late February to mid-March). Precisely on the occasion of Las Fallas in 2019, the two artists worked for a year on the design and creation of the “Procés Creatiu” monument, a monumental statue more than 26 meters high that was installed in Valencia’s Plaza del Ayuntamiento and after three days, as per tradition, was incinerated.
PichiAvo: works and technique
In their works PichiAvo are used to harmoniously blend two extremely different art movements, classical and urban art: the former located in institutional places, the latter generally identified with underground culture. This union gives birth to an art that the artists themselves refer to as Urban Mythology. Through subjects belonging to Greco-Roman mythology, PichiAvo want to convey to the viewer a sense of community and union beyond their own culture of belonging.
PichiAvo’s works, in addition to denoting extraordinary technical skill, are characterized by an explosive and garish color palette. PichiAvo street artists initially lay down several layers of colored paint on the chosen surface, after which they insert references to writing and the graffiti universe and, finally, depict a hyper-realistic, sculptural representation of the chosen mythological character. In the final stage they add layers of lighter paint in order to give an effect of transparency to the protagonists of their works.
In recent years, PichiAvo’s art has undergone a natural evolution toward sculpture and 3D works that has led them to experiment with plasterboard, one of the materials most akin to those they deal with during production in urban space.
PichiAvo: exhibitions and murals
Currently internationally recognized and critically acclaimed, PichiAvo made their international debut in 2015 with the creation of their first major mural at the North West Walls Festival in Belgium.
During their 15-year career, the PichiAvo have exhibited their works in numerous galleries around the world, and their first museum exhibition EVREKA at the CCCC (Centro del Carmen de Cultura Contemporánea) dates back to 2019.
Their murals can be found in more than 20 countries, from the United States to Europe, from Australia to Polynesia, and from South America to Canada. PichiAvo artists don’t just paint walls in large metropolises, but often intervene in small towns as well, to make sure that street art and their message reach everywhere. One example is Montecosaro, a small town in the Marche region of Italy, where the Spanish art duo created a huge wall dedicated to Cupid.
