I Got the call around mid February, How do you fancy a week in the sun end of March painting an old ice cream parlour/cafe/hotel? The only snag being that the Hotel was being demolished soon after and this was the last weekend available to paint the thing inside and out…. oh and we were going make a movie about the 48 hours we had to do it.
Mission improbable it was, but with a good local team. Chris and Heinz, Roberto the local paint guy, the spray paint shop Linea6 and the wonderful Edith, her twin daughters and son, we might just pull it off. Easter of course brings it’s own problems, it often rains. Flights and hotels become problematic and the whole island shuts down for the most sombre event in the christian year.
With everything set on the thursday before Easter the artists started to arrive, we had a little over 48 hours together with the clocks going forward on sunday night, tight was only screwed tighter. Flying in for the weekend were Loomit, Zadok, Sickboy & Kelster, Nick Walker, Lucy Mclaughlin & Matt Watson, Conor Harrington and myself with Banek and Ezequiel
Collaboration between myself, sickboy and Zadok
Saft films and ian Wallkandy tore around the site frantically documenting through a smog of paint and beer fumes. The setting was incredible and the house came alive, the oldest part of the building was at its core a hotel and the layout of the rooms, the vanished ceilings and exposed beams, lent itself well to our use of it as a ruined gallery. A maze of dark dead ends and tiny corridors that opened into crumbling courtyards.
Although the pressure was on, in such a wonderful location with amazing local food and people popping round, a lot of fun was had. We had a few near misses but we all survived. The local guys Ezequiel and Banek tore it up, zadok painted till his taxi took him to the airport. I haven’t laughed as much for a long time, and can’t wait to see the short film that comes out of it. Ended up popping something up on Hotel Zhero…they did ask…Honest. For more info on the project and to find out when the film will be released check out Widewalls or catch up with them on Facebook.
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks making work for several shows. First off the bat is LA show opens 24th of April, at LAB art. A week later a small pop up show in Miami details to follow later in the week. Meanwhile at Stroke art fair in Munich long time collaborators Widewalls take a stand showing Dotmaster works from The Widewalls Collection as well as a special exhibition ‘Photographie München’; an installation by Brazilian artist Ale Jordao; the black-light artist Lukas Fertsch; and an on-site tattoo studio.