From left to right: Max Gärtner, Lucas Milà and Carlos Garci
Collectively known as Barri Groc, Carlos Garci, Max Gärtner and Lucas Milà strive for cohesion: not only of the creative variety, but the social as well. Their works course with graffiti letters, realistic portraits and geometric designs, showcasing each member’s distinct aesthetic while professing a common concern for their community. Busily working on individual projects, the trio invited Hi-Fructose into their studio in Badalona, Spain to browse through their latest collection of paintings.Though the members of the collective have different technical specialties, their shared vision of socially proactive art comes through in their collaborative murals.
In the studio, Max Gärtner draws endangered animals with marker, conveying each species’ complexity by constructing their faces with tightly controlled loops. Meanwhile, Lucas Milà’s paintings, many of which feature dogs he has adopted, oscillate between the looseness of abstraction and ruggedness of street art. Switching between spray paint and brush work, Carlos Garci’s realistic portraiture—mixed with a dose of colorful, abstract designs—takes its subject matter from friends and family members. In incorporating these different aesthetic motifs in their shared projects, Barri Groc’s socially conscious collective murals reflect their intimate approach to their individual works. Hi-Fructose correspondent Nastia Voynovskaya visits the studio of Barri Groc, and gets a look at their latest outdoor piece, “Identitat(s)” below.
