Nomen is a self-taught visual artist and pioneer of graffiti art in Portugal. From the first incursions on trains and walls in the late 1980s, he now develops work on a large scale, exhibiting at numerous shows and events in Portugal and beyond. This self-named “style swinger” is renowned for mastering a balance between shapes and vivid colors with dynamic uniqueness and lasting impact. Versatile and prolific, his compositions and photo-realistic portraits are equally stunning. It was a great pleasure to catch up and discuss his work.
Nomen, a pleasure to speak to you about your amazing work. Congratulations on your career so far. You’re a self-taught visual artist and pioneer of graffiti in Portugal. How did you get involved in graffiti and murals in particular?
I am very pleased with your invitation to speak about my work. In relation to that, I have become emotionally involved with graffiti because of a click that I got back in 88, which was when I saw the first paintings of the first pioneers, in Portugal, like myself, but they were the very first ones, the very Jurassic guys, who have started a year before me, I started in 89. So, when I saw it on the streets it was a new world of colors and typographical dancing letters, and all that stuff gave me a click inside. Once my eyes saw that I said “I definitely want to try this”, so in March 89 it was my birthday and I’ve got five cans and made my first graffiti, and I never stopped after that, I got really hooked until today! I first started with letters, which I still do, and it all started with an emotional click of seeing that kind of art and colors in front of me.
Who are your influences? Is there a particular artist who stands out and if so why?
Yes, I have had a lot of influences in the past, and as you can imagine Portugal is at the end, or the beginning of Europe, depending on where you stand and we didn’t have access to books or magazines or anything related to graffiti at the time. It wasn’t developed enough to have magazines created about it. We had from the US, Can Control Magazine, another magazine from France, we had a hip hop connection magazine featuring 3 or 4 pages about graffiti at the end and Source Magazine. So what happened was all those magazines were kind of heroes, or leaders, or pioneers that frequently appeared in different magazines. Consequently, they have become pioneers of the style writing and great influences such as Dondi, Kaws, and Mear One, from the US, Part 2, from London, the father of realistic portrait; other guys like Seen and Cope 2, as well from the US. All these great style writers were a huge influence on me. Nowadays, in relation to what I do, which is an illustrative approach to feminine faces I don’t have a particular influence in my work, but several, meaning that I mix everything that has influenced me in the past: the realistic stuff with real graffiti and tags, other kinds of artists and paintings that I have seen work with brushes, abstract art, etc. So, currently what I do is a compilation in my mind of all those influences in just one painting. For example, imagine a girl’s face with those effects, inside the influence is from a lot of many, and not just from one, as a result, I mix a lot of influences in just one painting.
Your work has been exhibited at numerous exhibitions and events in Portugal and abroad? Are there any particular artworks or projects you’re most proud of and why?
Indeed, I consider myself very lucky as I have made several exhibitions in Israel, Tel Aviv, in Beit Ha’ir Museum; I was also invited to Bienal Sur in Panama, in 2011, to paint in that art-event, furthermore, I have also painted in palaces and galleries in Portugal, however not as much as I would like to in my country, as I get the feeling that here people only respect you if you are a foreigner. Also in Portugal, you are only considered good when you first stand out abroad, so it is a difficult country in its ways. I have painted as well by myself in more than 30 countries all over the world, in different countries, many of them supported by my own money. They were not a formal exhibition but it’s my way to make my “private” exhibition to the people who pass on the street, and, of course, it is what graffiti is all about.
I’m attracted to your political murals. Are there any subjects you would like to address but haven’t as yet?
I think my political murals speak for themselves, and people get an idea of what I want to share with them. The only difference is that Portugal has its own politicians, our very own personages, they are not very known around the world. Imagine if you look to a wall with Portuguese politicians you may not know who the hell are them but surely you can understand my point of view. For example, there is an “artivist”, in the US, called Mear One whose murals, are painted many times with politicians, and I don’t know their names but I know what is the idea he is trying to give. Therefore, even if the personages are not world-famous in my political murals, because they are Portuguese politicians, my art stands for a kind of revolution, it stands to people can feel every action you make in this world, even if you think it’s a small action, it can a difference, and at the time it really made a difference to me. At the time, I was interviewed by a lot of Portuguese newspapers, magazines, and TV about those murals. As a result, the media gave me a lot of attention and I could share my vision with more people, and at least try to make a revolution inside each and every one of us. At that time in 2012, when those murals were created, we, the Portuguese people, were involved in the problems Troika brought to us, and so much of political artwork I produced on the streets was related to that sucking and pimping Portugal, Ireland, Greece, and other countries that have suffered enormously during those times. As a consequence, for me, it was an artistic statement, my way of saying “Get out of here!”, “Let’s take these guys out of this Troika shit!”.
What is your biggest challenge as a visual artist?
I think my biggest challenge, at the moment, is to make my artwork more known internationally, as the quality of my work is more mature now based on, as I said previously, influences, techniques, layers, and everything put together. It gives me the confidence to pursue bigger worldwide fame and recognition. I want my work to be seen by more people.
What advice would you give to young artists embarking on their careers?
My advice to young artists is the following: imagine that life is like a pizza with only 3 slices: the slice of the talent, the slice of fame and recognition, and the slice of money. So the first slice, if you just focus on the money it is relatively easy, all you have to do is to paint copies of Mickey mouse or uncle Scrudge, that people buy and make some money, but surely it is not talent, therefore fame and recognition will not follow you. Then the second slice is to invest only in your talent, but again that brings issues as you still have to make ends meet and you still have to deal with your ego and have some fame and recognition, so you can’t just stay all day painting being like Leonardo Da Vinci if you don’t know how to spread that talent and get some money and recognition, like via social networks. Lastly, your third slice of the pizza, which is fame and recognition is a very important slice, but remember! Your ego can be fulfilled but if you don’t have money you can’t have a life, and if you don’t have talent you are fake, so you can’t only be concentrated on that. So my advice is life has those 3 slices of pizza and the secret is to try to have 33.3333% in all of them. So don’t get greedy, don’t be that guy stuck in talent and speaks to no one and be that fake guy of fame and recognition. You have to figure out a good percentage of every slice, that is my advice to you.
Very good advice, which is related to my next question. Several of self-taught artists I know say their art or careers haven’t been hindered by the lack of formal training. Do you have a strong view on the merits of formal training?
I believe that a self-taught artist is always in a different position, like in everything, there are pros and cons. You may not have much information from formal training in schools so as a consequence you have to take more time to learn by yourself. But honestly, I really think that it will just be more time consuming because you are doing on your own, nonetheless, you will always be more original, whereas artists who have had formal training were “contaminated” by several methodologies and techniques they have learned in school from their teachers. As a consequence they may paint a little bit like their tutors, they may change the subject. So when you are in a self-taught position, you don’t follow rules and techniques. I think the most important thing is that you get emotional and less scientific because you are not learning science training, but you are emotionally involved in getting information and solutions to your paintings.
Are you currently working on any projects?
Currently, I have established a new place for myself called Artdisturbers, we have just moved in about a month ago, which is a mixture of a large studio-warehouse with a large penthouse gallery with my paintings as well from some other artists. So right now, my current project is painting inside and outside of the building, as well buying art from some other artists like Seen, Cope 2, Taki 184, who I consider the founders of graffiti and creating a gallery with the works of the pioneers, like myself, who are older and started in New York. So yes, this is my current project establishing an art gallery together with a large painting studio.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
You can check my work at www.nomen1.com, and follow my work at Instagram @nomen_graffiti
Photos and artworks:
- Photo Credit ( Main) NHADIMNELO_2020
- NOMEN_ STUDIO_Credit_NOMEN_Self_Portrait_ 2020
- A ÚLTIMA CEIA (The Last Supper), 2014, Lisbon, Credit
- BEAUTY_DRIPS_Credit_NOMEN_2020 (1)
About Author
Another great article. Nomen is definately an artist to follow. His work is extraordinary.