Xuan Alyfe - Poetry Rendered - Panta, June 2015
Xuan Alyfe’s painted walls read like visual poetry. Gracefully rendered pictures appear on the surfaces he creates, enhanced by a sophisticated use of color. Abstract and figurative elements coexist, exposing intimate and unexpected visual moments. The scale of his figures and the shapes painted are grounded only by Alyfe’s imagination. His works are compelling, with dreamlike compositions.
Based in Aviles, Spain, Alyfe studied at the Fine Arts University in Salamanca. Although academically educated, Alyfe’s art seems to be directed more by intuition than formal training. His work reveals an artist who is intelligent and informed. Alyfe has an intensely personal aesthetic that combines bold geometry, washes and gradated color, figurative renderings and energetic lines that reflect his interest in calligraphy. His wall paintings are complex and nuanced, striking when seen at a distance, yet engaging when closely viewed.
There is a generosity in his art, a sense that Alyfe is sharing in public his most intimate self. On his walls, emotions are exposed, and a cerebral journey is offered. Multiple paintings within paintings are found in each work; every segment could compositionally stand on its own. It is easy to get lost in the details.
Alyfe has been invited to create artworks in several counties. His commissioned pieces are more densely detailed than his work on found walls. Yet all his art is equally impressive.
For the Living Walls project In Atlanta, Georgia, Alyfe was asked to transform one side of an abandoned house. Alyfe’s artistic orientation can be clearly seen in this work. He incorporates the building’s pitched roofline into the composition of his painting. This wall is complex, bringing together several diverse visual parts.
This Living Walls project reads as an unconventional grouping of paintings, each with is own sense of proportion and scale. Figurative renderings coexist with the abstract; one large section is reminiscent of calligraphy. Staring eyes on a face of modulated colors, trees and small figures balance effortlessly with abstract elements. Everything seen is perfectly calibrated, bringing to light an energetic, coherent composition.
Arte Urbana Lugano in Switzerland gave Alyfe a different type of opportunity. In Atlanta, the challenge was to bring color and hope to a part of the city that is struggling. This is often the case when artists are invited to paint walls in urban settings. The Lugano project demonstrates the possibilities murals can bring to contemporary architecture. His tightly considered painting enhances the environment and establishes an exciting outdoor gallery. This work makes a strong case for the inclusion of wall art in diverse settings.
When he is painting a wall without permission, Alyfe must maneuver quickly. These works are in keeping with his commissioned walls, but feel more spontaneous. He achieves, under pressure, images that are focused, detailed and lyrical. Working over single ground color that is either solid or gradated, he expresses his imagination.
Alyfe extensively documents his art online using a blog format. In many of the postings a person is posed in relationship to one of his painted walls, suggesting a performance piece. In other photographs, people are manipulated as visual elements. It is as if Alyfe has taken pieces from his walls and given them form.
Xuan Alyfe is primarily known for his street art, but on viewing his website, it becomes clear his creative impulses are limitless. Juxtaposing a sophisticated visual lexicon with exceptional dexterity, Alyfe reveals himself to be an artist who transcends expectations, form, or medium.
