To get an inspiring taster* scroll down, additional artists’ masterpieces are featured in Part 1 of #WILBCN.

From the 26th April, all the finalist will shine on my Facebook cover picture, so share the talent by tweeting or liking it. The next milestone will then be the 14th May,when I will showcase all the artist pieces in the Barcelona hostel.  Join me for a  joyous, exciting and mischievous celebration of talent, art and what lies in between…..

Muzai

Where you are from, what/where did you study? What do you do for a living?

Muzai, 45 years old, graduated from Federal University Uberlândia(MG)-Brazil, works with ilustration, urban art and photography.

How long have you been producing art?

Since 1995

What’s the place in the world you would most like to visit before you die?

Athens-Grécia

Your hero calls you one day and allows you to ask them one question – who is your hero and what would the question be?

I don´t have heroes.

Complete this sentence – Life is amazing.

What inspired you most to pursue an artistic direction?

My grandfather.

Is there an underlying message to your art? Are you attempting to communicate something?

I seek to rescue the childish side of man. In my universe, playful elements predominate, fanciful, lyrical and children placed in an atmosphere of serenity. Your search trace a less flowery, with a more direct language, but loaded with small subtleties. In my drawings, I seek the development of new textures, mixing drawing and digital manipulation.

Neus Lozano

Nombre, edad, de donde eres, que/ donde estudiaste? Que haces para vivir?

Neus Lozano, 29, Barcelona, estudie Ilustración en Escola superior de disseny i art Llotja, Barcelona.

Completa la siguiente frase: La vida es para vivirla.

Cual es tu tema preferido y por que?

Siempre ilustro personajes, también niños, la infancia y los recuerdos son temas que me encantan.

Hay algún mensaje en tu arte? Intentas comunicar algo?

Bueno siempre se comunica algo, yo solo pretendo que mis ilustraciones no sean indiferentes que provoquen algún sentimiento, ternura, alegría, nostalgia…

Pavle Masterart

Pedro Veloso

Pedro Miguel Moreira Veloso, Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, studied traditional animation in Lisbon, freelance.

What inspired you most to pursue an artistic direction?

The fact that while creating you forget all around and the hours fly by, and also the feeling of satisfaction when you finish a piece.

In your own words, how would you describe your style?

I would describe it as something mysteriously funny.

Is there an underlying message to your art? Are you attempting to communicate something?

I don’t try to communicate anything in particular, I let the viewer take his or her own conclusions, each viewer has a different perspective.

Ramon Conde Corbal Varela

Ramón Conde-Corbal Varela a.k.a. Mon Devane. 27 años. Ourense (Galicia, España). He estudiado Artes Plásticas y Diseño en la rama de Ilustración y un grado de Diseño Gráfico. Trabajo como freelance, realizando murales para empresas y particulares y como diseñador gráfico para empresas y particulares también.

Your hero calls you one day and allows you to ask them one question – who is your hero and what would the question be?

Una de las personas que más “idolatro” es Ghandi, y quizá le preguntaría como llegar a ser tan coherente sin perder la cabeza en el intento.

Complete this sentence: Life is La vida es lo que te pasa mientras intentas llegar a algo, un camino en el que importa más el viaje que el punto de llegada.

In your own words, how would you describe your style?

Estilo realista con tendencia popular o pop-art que trata de captar la atención del espectador.

Raul Villaba

Argentino, nacido en Buenos Aires. Autodidacta.

Empezó a incursionar en el mundo de la fotografía a la edad de 17 años, y de ahí en mas no se aparto jamás de ese camino que él decidió recorrer, volcando en el mismo todo su caudal creativo, que con el tiempo se transformo en uno de los fotógrafos creativos más reconocidos tanto nacional como internacionalmente. Paso por todas las ramas de la fotografía, ya sea trabajando como fotógrafo publicitario, retratista, ilustrador fotográfico creativo para portadas de libros, discos, cuentos, poesías, de numerosas e importantes editoriales de nuestro país.

Reflexion

Trato de mostrar a través de mis imágenes el mundo de los sueños, de la magia, de lo onírico, de lo místico y todos esos mundos de la fantasía que tengo dentro de mí, que nacen y renacen a cada instante, y así poder regalárselos a los espectadores de mis fotografías, que tal vez sean, el mundo interior de cada uno de ellos.

Sonia Ferre

Sònia Ferré, 24, Aiguaviva (Tarragona), Arts & design

I’m working as a model and waitress, but I hope to work as an artist in a near future.

Complete this sentence: Life is COLOUR

What inspired you most to pursue an artistic direction?

I think that I born with that.

What is your preferred subject and why?

Theory of the perception of colour and form, because it is very useful for my way of working and to capture the attention of the viewer.

Yes, of course. Art is a means of expression. What I want is to help each viewer, giving him a moment’s pleasure, meditation, bring your imagination to the limit, and this will serve to other aspects of their lives.

Artistically, something you have never tried but always wanted to?

A short film, based in abstract art, experimenting with painting and music together and a very strong connection.

How does Barcelona inspire you?

Barcelona is home to all cultures, human warmth, and colour, colour of so the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Montjuïc or Collserola make our special, magical light. Great artists like Miró and Gaudí flow between the ideas of young artists in the city. Including food, wonderful Mediterranean diet! gives us the explosion of colour that makes us unique.

Want to see our other finalists’ masterpieces? Check out ‘Why I love Barcelona’ – Finalist pieces part 1.

*Featured artwork and artist quotes are an extract of submitted final pieces and interview questions. In some cases the submitted artwork had to be altered to fit website requirements.

It has not been an easy decision to make for the judges, and we did not envy them, but here are the first 10 of our 20 finalists. Some snippets of sample work are below, and shown in a random order. Part 2 of the samples are now available!

Check out the incredible talent and get a glimpse of their artwork, along with their own Art concept statement. Let us know what you think using the comments box below and share the love on Facebook & Twitter by sharing and liking the page. Enjoy:

Gustavo Cipriano/ Dublin

“Express the emptiness, truth, love and sublime using elements of Brazilian culture as Forró music typical of the northeast. I believe in detachment of consumption, and the demythologizing of images like the skull that is the foundation of human life. That way I create my paintings tint using water based (blue, red, black and white) and small shadow detail spray (the ozone layer thanks).
Barcelona has no comments because breathes art is inside or outside the European economic crisis.
Knowing and painting in Barcelona??
my dream!” ( Artist concept statement)

Laura Garcia/ Barcelona

“I am very good with acrylics, pencil and pen. Drawing is something I have done as long as I can remember, it was only 7 years ago, when I started painting seriously. I love nature and animals, and most of my inspiration comes from there., from small details, patterns, colours or repetitions. I have been working on geometric shapes and tessellations lately. I have discovered that everything in nature has a mathematical perfection hidden in plain sight. It is those wonders, small hints and acknowledgements that I try to interpret and understand.” ( Artist concept statement)

Andrea Norden/ Stockholm

“I like to capture things in everyday life that may seem ordinary and normal, but if you look closer it’s art. It may be an expression on a face, a glance of an eye or an old coca cola can on the street.
I’m amazed by the world we live in and the people who live in it and I always try to explore more than what we see at first.
I most often do minimalistic and very realistic sketches. Street art is one of my biggest interests so I have also done a lot of collage paintings using spray cans, and also painted on large walls. Painting on walls is now my biggest mission, especially when it evolves around creating something where you explore a city and its people. That’s why I think this contest sounds great and I would love to participate!” ( Artist concept statement)

Sonia Ferre´/ Barcelona

“En els meus projectes sempre prenen la part més important les formes organiques d’una manera molt explosiva i elèctrica, convinant el que podem entendre per natura i per artifici, creant espais imaginaris de noves maneres d’entendre el que ens envolta. El resultat és un estil abstracte on hi predomina el color llempant, normalment utilitzant acrílic, tot i que moltes vegades intento convinar dibuix, fotografia i dibuix assistit per l’ordinador per acabar de completar aquest univers visual.” ( Artist concept statement)

Raul Villalba/Buenos Aires

“Arte fantastico” ( Artist concept statement)

Neus Lozano/ Barcelona

“I work in illustration, sweet style, colourful, sometimes intuitive …” ( Artist concept statement)

David Marteos Cabeas/ El Prat del Llobregat

“El meu projecte es pintura mural. Utilitzant spray sobre paret.
El meu estil es basa en combinacions de colors i combinacions de formes.
Vaig començar fa tres anys realitzant pintures al carrer a partir de la improvisació, i imaginant animals o coses de la naturalesa, i va anar evolucionant.
El meu estil i la meva expressió, m’agrada pensar que te aquesta connexió amb Barcelona per tota la influencia que te aquesta ciutat amb l’art del color,, amb l’art de la forma,, amb els estils surrealistes i innovadors que vam tenir far molts anys, i que encara aquí s’estan continuant durant dècades. Parlo de Gaudi, de les obres del grup dau al set, i també d’altres mes contemporanis com serien pintors ja esmentats per al concurs. (kenor, pez)

De cara a la pintura a realitzar, m’agradaria pintar alguna cosa relacionada amb el mar, així com dibuixar l’aigua amb moltes formes i poder-hi incloure algun rostre que humanitzes aquesta aigua.
M’agrada Barcelona, pels seus carrers, perque encara queden zones de l’antic graffiti, m’agrada encara que estigui plena de turistes, ja que donen a la ciutat l’aire cosmopolita i tant divers que té, i m’agrada el clima mediterrani, m’agrada el mar, i m’agrada l’arquitectura de Barcelona.” ( Artist concept statement)

Anita Zaira Haas/ Amsterdam

“My artist name is Zaira. I’m a street artist from Switzerland i make since 6 years active art on the street
now I work since two years on the streets and gallery’s in Amsterdam
my works are done free hand with spray can and with stencils
I like to make colourful walls animals or faces, cityscape………….big walls
I like to make a lot different stuff. ” ( Artist concept statement)

Calum Houldsworth / Caterham

“I like to use colour and drawings with the use of Photoshop to make a very interesting and visually appalling piece of work. I would start and see what makes Barcelona, Barcelona. I would draw the aspects of Barcelona and make a scene which captures the life and essence of the place, My sample work is the result of visually recording the area Brick Lane, in London, If I were given the chance I would develop and improve this style.” ( Artist concept statement)

Eduard Sacre/ Barcelona

“El meu nestil es basa en l’stencyl, mètode pel qual amb plantilles i sprays puc reproduïr la mateixa plantilla en varis llocs i en varis soports. M’inspiren els carrers, la gent, la música i l’art en general; m’inspira Barcelona, i és per això que vull parlar sobre i de Barcelona. El meu projecte consistirà en realitzar un mural donant les gràcies a la ciutat, demostrant perquè m’estimo Barcelona.” ( Artist concept statement)