"When I was in my second year of Fine Arts, a professor, who was also a painting teacher!, told me that what I was doing was too figurative, that it wasn't fashionable, and that I should switch to abstract. That hit me like a sledgehammer and I even considered dropping out of my degree, although in the end I was more stubborn and here I am, making a living with my little drawings."
Adrià Ferrer Marquès has been at the Bar for a while now, in his usual progression of "starting with vermouth and ending with beer," letting himself be carried away by a conversation that "depending on the alcoholic level, could make us end up talking heatedly about music, heartbreaks, and adventures" and reminiscing about that professor who didn't manage to make us miss his art and who, he supposes, "must still be teaching."
Illustrator and graphic designer, El Marquès ---"I always have to clarify that it's my surname and not a pimp's nickname"--- is a thirty-something native of Malgrat de Mar and resident in Barcelona who, to the greater glory of our ocular delight, has shaken the cultural and graphic world of the city and beyond, with an imposing body of work ranging from posters to album covers (years ago he himself was at the helm of The Pennycocks, a superlative Street Punk band), books, t-shirts, and exhibitions.
--Luckily you didn't listen to that professor!
--There were several who preferred you to mess around doing installations, video art, or performances and considered painting and drawing a dead and obsolete language. With these, you're sure to pass naked.
Non-stop
"Without a doubt, what I'm most proud of is when I made the poster for the Jazz a la Pedrera festival. Being able to see my poster illuminated in giant size, in front of Gaudí's building, was truly exciting."
Certainly, a milestone in the conspicuous and unstoppable production of this skilled cultivator of various forms of mid-century graphics who has lent his talent to projects and brands as diverse as Springfield, Campari, Volcom, Penguin Random House or the Generalitat de Catalunya, without forgetting the underground that saw him born artistically, with small labels and festivals such as New West Records, Bcore Disc, Sofar Sounds, or the veteran Gambeat Weekend of Barcelona.
The penultimate, the acclaimed Hasta siempre, Míster Berlanga (Random Comics), written by Luis Alegre and profusely illustrated by El Marqués, a review of the life, work, and soul of the brilliant filmmaker who, better than anyone, knew how to capture our idiosyncrasy.
--Who knows what you're up to now.
--Well, right now I'm working on the design for Pokey LaFarge's next album and on a project with Filmin.
A city to escape to
Adrià looks back, to that Barcelona he used to escape to from Malgrat de Mar for strictly musical reasons. "My first forays made me discover a lot of the subcultures and the underground of the time. We would sneak into Punk concerts, as well as Soul parties or Rock & Roll gatherings. Everything was very mixed." A mix of sounds, ideas, ethics and aesthetics of the 20th Century that can be fully breathed when seeing his work.
He easily relates it to the space he inhabits, to bring to light his favorite urban legend: "In one of the first books I illustrated, about legends of Catalonia, it spoke of the legend of Calle Estruc in Barcelona, considered magical. It is said that in the 15th century a sorcerer named Astruç Sacanera lived there, who would both remove the evil eye and pull out a tooth, and who was especially famous for possessing the Pedra Escurçonera, a miraculous stone that cured even snake bites. There are still plaques and reliefs on the buildings of that street, full of esoteric and fantastic motifs. It is said that they are written in a variant of Hebrew and act as good luck talismans, but only for those who know how to read them."
Suddenly, Cachao López plays on the radio and El Marqués asks to turn up the volume. "Lately I'm quite on fire with some compilations of Cuban and Antillean music from the 40s and 50s. They bring me a lot of joy and I find it very funny that almost all the songs talk about love or food."
--Speaking of food, would you like anything? Look at the menu, tapas, portions?
--Tapas, perpetually.
--Heard, kitchen.