December 29, 2022
Behind Juan Díaz-Faes: Black is a happy colour
Paula Latiegui

The Spanish artist Juan Diaz-Faes will have a solo show for the first time at V LAB in January 2023, ready to fill the space with his characteristic good vibes

"I try to create things that make people happy" is the philosophy of the Asturian artist Juan-Diaz Faes, whose work will be on view at the V LAB from January 12th to January 28th, 2023.

By twisted and smiling figures that stack up on each other, Diaz-Faes communicates through walls, comics, skateboards, ceramics, jewelry and even artificial intelligence; in his hands everything is susceptible to become an antidote to anger, he even manages to make black, his main color, be associated with good vibes. And the fact is that the artist from Asturias but based in Cantabria affirms that he draws, eats and laughs in equal parts, turning these three actions into the pillars of his daily life. A way to explain to us that boredom does not enter into his plans, and silence when he surfs.

Juan Díaz-Faes drawing a mural in Santander. Photo: Urvanity.
Juan Díaz-Faes affirms that he draws, eats and laughs in equal parts, turning these three actions into the pillars of his daily life.

After living thirteen years in Madrid where he made contacts and colleagues, Juan Díaz Faes opted for rural art and personal projects by moving to a village in the north "I escaped from Madrid, with all the good and bad that entails, my intention was to escape from the noise to focus more on my own projects than on commissions as an illustrator". 

Juan Díaz-Faes working in his studio in Castanedo, Cantabria, Spain. Photo: Colección SOLO

A decision that a priori may seem risky, but one that the artist feels capable of, assuring that he is not afraid, not because he is brave, but because not thinking too much about things is what drives him to do them. This is linked to his optimistic nature, which allows him not to get frustrated with mistakes but to think "I know what to do next time".

Skateboards created by the artist exhibited in the SOLO collection. Photo: Limited By Solo.

Since 2017, cities such as Miami, Austin, Guangzhou, Uruguay, Madrid and Santander have had large-scale murals signed by this artist. Díaz-Faes has had solo exhibitions at the Point Éphémére centre in Paris and Conde Duque in Madrid. He has also participated in group exhibitions in Barcelona, Taipei, Hamburg, among others. His work is also part of the exhibition Still Human, which was shown at the Espacio SOLO museum in Madrid in 2021.