Mina Hamada & ZOsen BandidO
CATALONIA / ESP
Calle Libre 2024
In collaboration with B-Murals and Catalonian Delegation in Austria
Live Painting 02.09-06.09
Address: Nordportalstraße 2, 1020 Vienna
Mina Hamada, born in Louisiana, USA, grew up in Tokyo, Japan, where she studied design and illustration at the Sokei Academy of Fine Art & Design. Her work is characterised by abstract and organic forms in soft, bright and warm colours. Flat and soft forms are in harmonious balance with each other, while rhythm and colour are a prominent leitmotif in her work.
Mina Hamada's paintings and drawings are fresh and friendly, personal and sensitive, inviting us into the artist's subconscious - a dream world that combines Occident and Orient, young spirit and profound philosophy. The artist explores unknown areas of painting from the unconscious and improvisation. The titles of her works, sometimes in Japanese, Spanish and English, reflect this poetic self-analysis and refer to her intercultural background and the exploration of her own identity. At the end of 2009, she moved to Barcelona, Spain.
Mina Hamada takes a liking to the city's urban art scene. She begins to experiment with large-format murals. Mina's work is exhibited in galleries, institutions and public spaces throughout Europe, the United States and Latin America. At the end of 2011, she met Zosen and the two worked together on murals, paintings and screen prints, participating in numerous mural festivals and exhibitions since 2012.
Instagram: @mina_hamada
Website: https://zosenymina.tumblr.com/
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Zosen is a renowned visual artist and researcher specializing in urban culture. He currently lives and works in Barcelona.
From an early age, he had a strong connection with urban culture, starting with skateboarding and later discovering graffiti. Influenced by the Punk movement and the "Do it yourself" philosophy, Zosen began to create his first publications in fanzine format during his adolescence. In the beginning, he developed as a self-taught creator, later he studied art at the La Llotja School in Barcelona, becoming a Higher Technician in Plastic Arts and Design.
He has been an active member of the Barcelona graffiti scene since the early 90s and has not stopped painting murals since. He has carried out small and large format mural projects in different parts of the world, both with his personal work and in collaboration with various communities using a participatory approach.
His other line of work is the research and dissemination of urban art. He teaches classes, workshops and conferences, specializing in the New York graffiti movement since the early 70s, its arrival in Europe with the Hip Hop boom and the emergence of the movement with the appearance of what is called Street art and the large format murals.
Within the line of research he has devised, written and directed the documentary series “Fanzilona” that covers 50 years of alternative creation in the city of Barcelona and is co-produced with Caixa Forum.
Zosen's creative repertoire spans diverse media, including illustration, painting, ceramics, documentaries, book publishing, fanzines, and project organization. His collaboration with the artist Mina Hamada stands out, with whom he has carried out mural projects, community initiatives and exhibitions in different places around the world.
During his residency at the La Escocesa Production Center in Barcelona, Zosen created and coordinated events such as the Mural Festival, the self-publishing publishing house La Escocesa, curated exhibitions and programmed concerts and performances. His work has been exhibited in galleries in Europe, Asia, North America and South America, participating in exhibitions and events both nationally and internationally.
Instagram: @zosenbandido
Website: https://zosenymina.tumblr.com/
https://www.animalbandido.com/tofulines/
https://zosenbandidoshop.limitedrun.com/
COLLABORATION PARTNERS
In collaboration with the Barcelona-based B-Murals Gallery and the Catalonian Delegation, we’re excited to showcase an artist duo selected through an open call. Mina Hamada, Louisiana-born, Tokyo-raised, and now based in Barcelona, merging abstract and organic forms in harmonious balance with each other; her murals becoming vibrant expressions of a cross-cultural dialogue. Her work finds a perfect complement in Zosen Bandido, a Buenos Aires native and long-time Barcelona resident, who has been an active member of the graffiti culture for decades and has extensively studied its history and evolution. Together, they will contribute their distinctive styles to this year’s festival, adding a rich new dimension to a passageway in Leopoldstadt.
Website: https://www.bmurals.com/
Instagram: @b.murals