There are few places in the world quite like Argentina and Brazil, especially when it comes to street art. The combination of talent, friendly laws, and a rich, varied and vibrant history has given birth to some of the best and brightest talents in the world. Simply walking down the streets of Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro will give you a sudden and delight insight into the many talented artist roaming the streets. But if you’re in Buenos Aries, you will be sure to notice the work of one Martin Ron, a street artist whose international acclaim is only growing.
Martin Ron’s work is noted first and foremost for its size. The motto “Go big or go home” seems to be a mantra for his work, which often towers above the smaller pieces that dot Buenos Aries’ skyline, alleyways, and neighbourhoods. Of course, usually such size also brings with it time savers, ways in which people can make a larger project while being able to get home at the end of the day. For Martin Ron, this is not the way to do things.
Besides the size, Martin Ron’s work is noted for its deep complexity in terms of colour, subject, and detail. Everything he does is painstakingly researched, created, and given a perfectionist’s level of attention to detail. From turtles bursting forth from walls to Dali-esque surreal takes on skater culture, everything looks at once real and artistic.
Take, for example, this piece. It taps not only into a larger artistic history, the influence of Salvador Dali’s surrealism is immediately evident, but it does so by considering the local skater culture and South American’s classic love of vibrancy, both in subject and in colour. Four stories tall and using three different sections of a building, the piece is astounding in its scope, size, and ambition, all of which have become the norm for Martin Ron.
What Martin Ron’s art shows us is more than an ability to compose larger, and larger-than-life, art, it shows us how vibrancy and taking into account one’s own history can lead to beautiful works of art. Too often, we think of artists as singular geniuses who completely change everything, but to do so often erases the people who came before. With Martin Ron, we can see brilliant nods to the past as history is being made right before our very eyes. It takes a measured approach and celebrates art history, the area around the drawing, and the characteristics that make South American street art, and Argentinian art in particular, such a fascinating part of the global street art phenomenon.
