All posts tagged: Jose Delou

Urban Narratives: Sebas Velasco Connects in Brixton With “A Lasting Place”

Urban Narratives: Sebas Velasco Connects in Brixton With “A Lasting Place”

In the dynamic urban landscape of London, Sebas Velasco has left his mark with a mural titled A Lasting Place at 12 Cobbett Street, Brixton. Born in Burgos, Spain, Velasco is renowned for his hyper-realistic style that captures the essence of urban environments. This mural, inspired by British musician Loyle Carner’s track “A Lasting Place” from the album Hugo, depicts a young Brixton resident standing against the iconic train line. The cool, muted hues of London night are punctuated by the station’s warm glow, creating a dialogue between the individual and the city’s pulse.

Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Auberon Hall)

Velasco’s approach is deeply rooted in his environment. He involves a process of immersion in local culture, photographing the people and places that inspire his creativity. This mural, his first in London, blends his experiences in Brixton with spontaneous encounters that shape his work.

“I have always been very interested in social architecture, but I had no idea that London, particularly Brixton, was so rich in these aesthetics,” Velasco reflects. The mural stands as a narrative of Brixton’s character, shaped by the creative freedom he was given. The involvement of his long-time collaborator Jose Delou in the photographic staging adds authenticity, enhancing the connection between the artist and the environment.

Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Auberon Hall)

Sebas Velasco’s work consistently explores themes of connection, bridging the past and present to resonate with viewers. As part of the London Mural Festival’s theme of “connection,” A Lasting Place sets the tone for a series of works exploring the relationships between people and the spaces they inhabit. The festival, from September 7th to 29th, features renowned artists like Aches, Bezt Etam, D*Face, and eL Seed. As part of the festival, this mural captures the narratives that make London’s streets both familiar and endlessly intriguing.

Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Auberon Hall)
Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Auberon Hall)
Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. Detail. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. Detail. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. Detail. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. Detail. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. A Lasting Place. London Mural Festival. London, England. (photo © Auberon Hall)
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Sebas Velasco and a Night Time Portrait in Beaumont, Texas

Sebas Velasco and a Night Time Portrait in Beaumont, Texas

A coastal city in Southeast Texas, Beaumont is 90 miles east of Houston and 30 miles west of the Louisiana border. At the third Beaumont Mural Festival the debut of the new mural by acclaimed artist Sebas Velasco is a momentous occasion, and we bring you fresh shots of the process and final work. Inspired by his collaboration with longtime friend and photographic collaborator Jose Delou, it’s no surprise that Velasco’s latest piece captures an essence of urban life with depth and emotion, an idealized measure of modern existence against a perhaps less-than-ideal cityscape.

Sebas Velasco. Beaumont Mural Festival 2024. Beaumont, Texas. (photo © Jose Delou)

A youth adorned in classic sportswear, set against the backdrop of a dynamic cityscape, the striking portrayal is based on a local resident who agreed to be the subject of Velasco’s art; somehow, it embodies a fusion of American influence and stoic solitude reminiscent of artists like Hopper. With his attention to detail, Velasco enhances the scene’s post-industrial elements, infusing them with warmth and vibrancy. The immediacy of the gaze holds the viewer accountable, studying it all more closely, wondering what stretches beyond the confines of the mural.

Velasco’s blurred aesthetic warms the night, eschewing traditional photographic realism in favor of a wilder, more dynamic energy. His approach, reminiscent of the gestural abstraction of artists like De Kooning, prepares the scene with rawness and a sense of movement; a mural that not only enriches the cultural landscape of Beaumont but also serves as a testament to the transformative power of public art.

Sebas Velasco. Beaumont Mural Festival 2024. Beaumont, Texas. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Beaumont Mural Festival 2024. Beaumont, Texas. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Beaumont Mural Festival 2024. Beaumont, Texas. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Beaumont Mural Festival 2024. Beaumont, Texas. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Beaumont Mural Festival 2024. Beaumont, Texas. (photo © Jose Delou)
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Sebas Velasco: Ordinary Story With Chef and Volvo. Sweden

Sebas Velasco: Ordinary Story With Chef and Volvo. Sweden

The glaring intrusion of advertising’s florescent night – the stirring it causes inside your head and heart as it demands attention. This is not normal, yet we have tried to normalize it, this shallow gaudy preening cousin of fire. Muralist Sebas Velasco makes a hunt of this sort of late-night urban scene with photographer Jose Delou. Like reporters on the city beat, they play interviewer and sociologist, ultimately portraitist.

Today we have a Latvian chef and a Swedish chariot of a more recent vintage, a Volvo. The parking lot is a depository, now also a stage. The family wagon in the glow of the Swedish hypermart; the modern hunter, circling the prey for dinner.

Jose Delou. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Jose Delou. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Jose Delou. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Jose Delou. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Ordinary Story,  for Oskarshamn street art festival. Oskarshamn, Sweden. October 2022. (photo © Jose Delou)
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Sebas Velasco: An Old Master Modern, Building a Future Past

Sebas Velasco: An Old Master Modern, Building a Future Past

A young master painting in the Old Master vein, perhaps, this Spanish poet captures something between the past and the future. Sebas Velasco is not yet 6 years out from his Masters in painting, yet he is bringing imagination and emotion to his mural work that gives you a longing to know more.

Jose Delou. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)

Along with the photographer, friend, and longtime collaborator Jose Delou, Velasco has been traveling the last six weeks from the Prado in Spain through Germany, then Sweden. Bringing depth to the surface, his portraiture stands astride the beauty, and decay; a romantic alienation found only in the modern metropolis.

While you might hesitate to mention the Spanish and Old Master painter Goya for fear it might complicate the conversation, Velasco is showing us how he will continue to build the image that will captivate. In some way, his manner of capturing the character is familiar, compelling, and somehow impossible.

Jose Delou. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Wir Werden Sehen. With the Landmarks Project. Ingolstadt, Germany. September 2022 (photo © Jose Delou)
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Sebas Velasco is Well Aligned in Ontiyent, Spain, with “Alenar”

Sebas Velasco is Well Aligned in Ontiyent, Spain, with “Alenar”

There is a discernible difference between mural festivals created as commercial endeavors and those led by artists, like the Murart 22 in Ontiyent in Spain. It captures the city’s light and the alignment with the culture. Here we see Sebas Velasco musing over a local waitress whom he and photographer Jose Delou met over a meal one night in this city.

Sebas Velasco. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)

A perfect figure to represent the night glow on the outskirts of Ontiyent, Claudia is cast in the cooler tone of industrial neighborhoods, the warmth vanished under this street lighting. Known for his unique portraits, Sebas reveals her delicate features under the hum of cool gas station lights. The compelling result is balanced and elegant, well within its element.

We’re looking forward to more thoughtful work from Murart 22 with artists Mantra, Marina Capdevilla, Lidia Cao and DULK.

Sebas Velasco. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. Claudia. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)
Sebas Velasco. “Alenar”. Murart 22, a project by DULK studio. Ontiyent, Spain. (photo © Jose Delou)
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