Artist interview - Who is Zurik?

- Who are you?

My name is Zurik, I was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and I am 31 years old. I moved to Sabadell/Barcelona 6 years ago, where I have my studio and develop most of my projects.

- When did you start with graffiti and art in general?

I started taking private oil painting lessons when I was nine years old. At 15 I discovered the letters, but I only drew on paper. At the age of 19, I began to paint in the street, and I have continued like this until now.

- Why did you start with art?

It is difficult to find a single fact. From a very young age, I liked to draw and I could not imagine doing anything else. In fact, I have always learned quickly and at school, my classmates commissioned me to draw.

Unlike other experiences that I have heard, I really liked studying and I did not use drawing to distract my attention; So I really don't know why I have this predisposition, I just know that it is something that fills me up and keeps me happy.

- What are your main inspirations when you create art?

It depends on the time. In my first years, I only saw graffiti, then I began to incorporate and learn from graphic design and now I focus a lot on animation, movies, and series. I like to analyze how light reflects off objects and the color combinations they use.

Sometimes I unconsciously draw things that I've seen in other artists so I go back to them and try ways to do it differently, either through volume, repetition or sometimes discarding it.

Today it is impossible not to be influenced by the amount of visual material at our disposal, but I think it is always important to look at and rethink the first drawings to make changes and bring them to your own style.

- Do you have any artists that you look up to?

I see a lot of ASMOE's work, Loish's (illustrator), MIEDO 12, SEMOR, ACHES, STOM500, DOES, LEANS, and TREZE.

- Are you a professional artist who can afford art as his only job?

Yes, I have been fortunate to have only dedicated myself to this since I began to paint, I have never worked on anything else.

- What are your artworks that you are the proudest of so far?

I am proud of 2 works from 2021, the first, a pillar of the Vasco Da Gama bridge in Lisbon, it has been my highest work to date; it is 36 meters high and I had never climbed so high so it was quite a challenge to finish it.
The other, more for the image itself, is a 5 x 9-meter canvas for the Street Art Museum ( STRAAT MUSEUM) in Amsterdam.

- What is your advice for people who want to become artists?

Patience. I believe that a career/job as an artist is not built overnight, being a job that develops independently requires a lot of commitment and dedication, some sacrifices and I guess some hope.

It's very easy to get discouraged if you see that at 3 years you still haven't reached the projects you might want, but it's a long road of trial, error, and, above all, polishing yourself more and more.

The experience is built with patience and hard work, even when you do not receive financial compensation for it, and it is something that you have to be very aware of if you want to enter this world.

- What do you think about the philosophy of our brand?

It is always very comforting to see a brand that bet on Graffiti because in many places it still has a very negative stigma. I love to make letters, so to see that my passion can be shared in other spaces and formats beyond the wall is encouraging and motivating.