Over the past several years, Puerto Rican-born street artist Alexis Diaz has built an international presence, with giant murals covering everywhere from the side of a crumbling building in Bratislava, Slovakia to a makeshift billboard in the middle of the Arizona desert. The artist is known for his chimerical and dreamlike depictions of animals in a state of metamorphosis. Diaz often works collectively with friend and fellow street artist Juan Fernandez; when collaborating together, the group calls themselves “La Pandilla” (or “The Gang”). Both Diaz’s solo work and that of La Pandilla demonstrate a deep interest in transfiguration; animals morph into one another, human hands and skulls become wings and snail shells and creatures are transformed into ships and submarines to be used for the transport of other animal subjects. Diaz’s signature style is the use of tiny black brushstrokes on white to render his creatures, making them look like highly-detailed pen-and-ink drawings. These ‘drawings’ stand out all the more for being set against their bright teal, blue, and sunset-colored backdrops.
Bratislava, Slovakia. June 2013.
Miami, FL. December 2013.
Vienna, Austria. June 2013.
Las Vegas, NV. October 2013.
Queretaro, Mexico. September 2013.
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. Puerto Rico. October 2012.
Los Angeles. February 2013.
