Nemo’s crafts illustrations and murals with vague, sometimes grotesque characters often shown in reflection or anguish. When the viewer looks past the unsettling circumstances of these drawings and paintings, they may find something relatable in the emotions evoked in each piece. Just like the name of the artist, the works serve multiple functions.
“When I began drawing on walls in the streets I needed to find a name for myself … ,” the artist says. “I decided that name would be Nemo. Nemo like the captain from (“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”), who fought battles against the war, the injustices in the world and the silences of the sea. Nemo like the main character from one of Winsor McKay’s first comic strips, in which he narrates the nightmares this boy has every night about amazing adventures in a fantastic kingdom called Slumberland. Last but not least Nemo like the latin word for ‘no one.’ I have always liked the idea of calling myself with a name that means ‘no one,’ that makes my work even more mysterious. I added “’s”, the possessive case, because it refers to my art, so the translation goes from ‘no one’ to ‘no one’s” and this completes the paradox of this way to identify myself.”
See more work by the artist below.