In conversation with Apparan

“I try to convey messages in my work of unity and sisterhood with a surreal feel in the composition.”

- Apparan

Image: @iamdwphoto

Apparan is a London-based street artist originally from the Canary Islands. She combines her teaching career with her art, as well as running an art and music collective called Art House Project London through which she has curated dozens of art shows in London. In summary, Art House Project London is a platform of artists aiming to find affordable exhibition spaces to showcase upcoming urban artists and DJs. You can see Apparan’s murals in different locations across East London, transmitting messages of love and unity to the community.

What types of art projects have you worked on?

I have taken part in numerous projects as an artist and an art collective. I’ve collaborated with a variety of different national and international organisations.

Working with different artists or groups in art or cultural projects is very enriching. It has helped me to create links across the art world and to get my artistic message to different audiences.

I have participated in different mural festivals around the UK, curated shows supporting local artists and art auctions to raise money for charities, coordinate and deliver workshops. I have also collaborated with groups dealing with gender equality and environmental issues in multiple occasions like WOM Collective and micro-galleries as these are topics very present in my art too.  

What does an average working day look like?

I am a teacher, so I have limited time after work to dedicate to my art and the admin duties that come with that. This involves dealing with the logistics, planning new shows for artists in our collective, advertising and marketing on social media, keeping a fluid communication with our 40(ish) artists, web maintenance team and finance advisers. I try to devote 50/50 to both which is quite difficult. Keeping a diary and making “to-do lists” is important so I can keep track of deadlines coming up. There is lots of passion and dedication.

How did you get into street art? 

When I came to England, I became a big fan of street art and street art photography. I started to recognise artists’ work in the streets, follow them on social media and attend their art shows. I think it was a natural progression for me to take. I was a big fan of Banksy, so I started to do some stencils and paint them in legal areas like Leake Street and made lots of friends along the way.

How would someone recognise your artwork on the street? How would you describe its main characteristics?

I paint different motives every time. I would say that the fact that I paint women and the colours I use for the skin and curly hair are very distinctive.

I try to convey messages in my work of unity and sisterhood with a surreal feel in the composition.

Image: @iamdwphoto

What do you love about street art?

I love the freedom of painting my ideas in a big format, the bigger the better. I also enjoy the social side of it all, for example the paint jams or festivals where your work becomes instantly public and accessible for everyone to see.

How is the work-life balance?

Difficult, haha! I am very lucky as I have a lot of support and encouragement at home. I also think that having a break or going traveling every now and then helps me to look back and analyse my work and take the opportunity to think up new ideas and get inspired again.

What is the biggest misconception about street art?

The biggest misconception is that street art is vandalism. Fortunately, this is changing. People are starting to see it more as a form of art, and as a way of making ugly spaces bright and beautiful. Their messages are starting to be recognised and shared by the community and become iconic in the area which is really good for artists too.

What do you think can be done to improve the current industry?

I think upcoming street artists and artists in general need more support from galleries and affordable exhibition spaces where artists could showcase their work. In cities like London, it is really expensive and many upcoming artists give up their careers on the way. This is not because their art is not good enough, but because they can’t show it to an audience.

At Art House Project London, we try to use free or low-cost spaces, or venues that provide a cultural programme. We have organised art shows in bars, community venues and churches. We have a DIY or DIT (Do it Together) philosophy. Even though our community is progressively growing, we still feel we need the support from local authorities and this is definitely something that’s on our to-do list for the future.

What would be your advice to a young person looking to experiment with street art?

 Just go and do it.

Apparan will be having her second solo show in December as an artist in residence at Viva Dalston. You can buy her art from her online shop at www.apparan.com.

 Art House Project London has organised several online shows during the lockdown that you can still see on their website. The organisation will be supporting local artists who are taking part in art markets around London until Christmas 2020.