Street Art: NeSpoon

Famed for her work with lace patterns, the Insider speaks to NeSpoon about her captivating style of street art…

WI: You’re often quoted as saying you were reborn in 2009…
NeSpoon: I’ve been painting since I can remember, since kindergarten. I wanted to be a ‘real artist’ at the age of 6, when other girls dreamed of being princesses or fairies, but it was in 2009 that I started getting involved in street art.

I figured that if corporations were being allowed to destroy Poland’s visual landscape with their billboards, then my art wouldn’t hurt anyone – even if I didn’t have permission. Prior to that I was painting dark, depressing canvases, but now I use lace patterns and lots of white colors.

How has your art developed?
My first street work was made of ceramics; later I started getting involved in murals, stencil graffiti and preparing in-situ installations. Nowadays I also deal with video art, sculpture and gallery projects.

What makes lace special?
In lace you can find a universal aesthetic code that’s deeply embedded in every culture. When I add colors to my paintings, people sometimes say that I’ve been inspired by Tibetan Mandalas, Moroccan ceramic or native pre-Columbian art. In every lace we find symmetry, some kind of order and harmony – and isn’t that what we all instinctively look for?

How would you define your artistic style and philosophy?
I try to make positive art and to invoke positive emotions. I hope people smile, even if just for a moment, when they see my work.

In your opinion, what makes ‘good’ street art?
I believe that real street art need to be a spontaneous, bottom-up initiative and that it needs an element of anarchy. Mural festivals are not street art; when it comes to the aesthetics of murals, I can only say that less is more.

You’ve moved into large scale murals: how does this differ from working in a smaller format?
I’ve always wanted to paint big things. Before 2009 I only painted dimensions of 140×140 cm because that was the range of my arms. With murals though, you’re talking about giant ‘canvases’.

A week of hard work on some scaffolding or up a lift in some distant place is the best holiday I could imagine. It’s completely different to working illegally at night, under pressure, where within a few minutes you have to finish your work and vanish. They’re different sports entirely.

NeSpoon
Wrocław. Poland 2015

Do you have any wild and crazy street art ambitions?
In 2042 I will have finished my most important project thus far: ‘Thoughts’. It started five years ago and it continues to grow. I work on it for around three to four months each year. Ultimately, my artistic aim is to have a large scale multimedia installation in public space all over the world.

Tell us a secret about your work?
It’s no secret, in fact, it’s a fairly universal rule that applies to all professions: if you want to achieve something, you need to work hard at it. Do something every day – and never stop dreaming!

For more on NeSpoon, see: behance.net/nespoon