The name Street Drug Addict is becoming increasingly popular. We see it on the streets of Bogotá and other cities around the country, in airports, on major roads, in libraries, on the new covers of Mario Mendoza's books, everywhere. It has scratched almost every major street in the capital. He has paid tribute to different characters of Colombian culture. Draw animals and people, leave messages. Defend the diversity of our country.
The man behind the graffiti hardly anyone knows his face. He usually wears a mask when he is interviewed. He likes to be recognized by his work and not by his face. It is known that his name is Andrés, who studied advertising, and is about 40 years old. He likes punk, hence his flagship image is that of the punker covering one eye. He has won several calls for artists in Colombia and has had the opportunity to show his work abroad. He is already invited to paint in Madrid, Berlin, and Los Angeles. Drug addict is worldwide, it's like he's our Banksy.
Although he is already quite well known, and respected for what he does, he continues to paint on the street. He does not neglect his essence, beyond the fact that his works are no longer considered as “vandalism”. He has been alongside important names such as Jean Michel Basquiat and Keith Harring, two undisputed figures in world graffiti, taking his place in galleries around the world. Recently, the gallery Otros 360° announced that it would have him as an exhibitor with “Essential Metaphors”, an account of what his career has been like so far.
Fernando Gómez Echeverry says, in an article published by EL TIEMPO, the most recent in the work of Toxicomaniac, and which can be seen in the exhibition, he sends positive messages. “He immersed himself in the magazines and newspapers of the 50s, 60s and 70s of the 20th century and appropriated his aesthetics, translated it into the language of [graffiti] and instead of walls he took wooden planks to paint them. These are wonderful pieces. There is a bottle of pills that says: ARGUMENTS, ESSENTIAL MEDICINE. And in one corner of the ad is an asterisk that warns: 'Take two or three before each discussion'. Another advertisement promotes the Oil of Tolerance, and among its benefits it stands out that it strengthens the soul, eliminates prejudices and beautifies the hair. Visual language is the punk language of the street; there is something about Don Draper, the publicist of the Mad Men series, with the anger of Sid Vicious, the spirit of the Ministry of Vagrancy and the concerts of 1280 Almas. There is a magician willing to leave a man with an electric saw; the poor man throws a balloon that says: “You probably don't like me, but because you don't apply yourself every day: KILLER SPRAY”.
It is worth mentioning that Andrés is not the only one behind street drug addict, there are other names. This is a collective. But, of course, the one who has managed to stand out the most is him. Well, not him. His work. In an interview published by Don Juan magazine, María Capote asks him about his origins, how it all began, and he replies: “Strolling. When I was about 18 years old, in the step between leaving school and deciding what I wanted to do with my life, punk came along. I went to concerts and returned me to the house walking and scratching the streets. The first thing I did was the typical [graffiti] phrase, but over time I started using templates. I painted a lot for the neighborhood where I lived, Santa Isabel, but I also painted in the center, Chapinero and the north, because they were the places where the bars stayed. Then we got together with several friends and realized everything we could do on the empty walls of Bogotá, then we published a fanzín and when it came time to sign it we found the name Toxicomaniac, because we were addicted to the street”.
The Street Toxicomaniac exhibition on the first floor of the Otros 360° gallery, located at 70A street No. 9-24, in the Quinta Camacho neighborhood, very close to the Wilborada 1047 and Tornamesa bookstores, will be available between March 10 and April 8. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, from 10am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.
KEEP READING: