Danide: “For NN Wallery I have reflected on the two Barcelonas: the one that is lived and the one that is visited”

Daniel Deamo, artistically known as Danide, is an illustrator and comic book artist. He studied Production in Graphic Arts and among his works, titles like Phagocytosis and Potlatch, with scripts by Marcos Prior, stand out. Both comics were nominated for awards at the Barcelona Comic Convention for Best National Work.

To define himself as an illustrator he chooses words like “restless”, “meticulous” and “self-critical” and states that, in terms of style, he considers himself very volatile and quite mobile “like a feather in the wind”. A quality that, undoubtedly, has allowed him to perfectly adapt to the large format required by the construction wall at Diputació, 459, where he has captured his own vision of Barcelona for the project NN Wallery.

Dani, how do you define your style?

I like to consider myself outside of any particular style or school. I'm somewhat in no man's land. By this I don't mean to say that I consider myself unclassifiable, but rather very volatile, quite mobile ('like a feather in the wind'). My style is always subordinate to the character of the specific project. I don't draw everything the same way, thus I avoid boredom through self-plagiarism. Similarly, if I were a musician, for example, I wouldn't play all the songs in the same way.

What are your most obvious influences?

I consider myself a graphic artist who draws. In that sense, I am very fond of minimalism and conceptual art. My greatest love is comic art, as it is the specialty that best combines the plasticity of drawing with the infographic nature of graphic design.

Complete the sentence: Inspiration usually finds me...

On the street.

We can see you as a professional comic book artist, an illustrator for advertising companies, media, publishers... you are a very versatile artist who avoids monotony, how do you achieve that?

Partly out of necessity, and partly due to the fascination that projects which take me out of familiar territories generate in me.

How did the commission from NN Wallery come to you and what was your first reaction?

On Norma's behalf. I don't remember the first thing I thought. But the second was definitely to reconsider my proposal, to see how I could fit into such a project.

How does an illustrator and comic book artist experience an incursion of this magnitude into the world of urban art?

With a certain sense of belonging. I don't think there's too much distance between us. That said, the challenge existed, and it was about understanding and knowing how to work on such scales. I'm used to creating on a small scale, especially compared to what it means to fill an entire city wall.

What does urban art mean to you? And why do you think it's important for cities?

As an urban culture, it represents a living expression that is distant from institutions, norms, or academia. And in that, comic books, as a 'second-class' popular art, have much in common. Everything that happens in the margins is important and ends up conditioning the established canons.

What can we find at 459 Diputació Street?

A reflection on the two Barcelonas: the one that is lived and the one that is visited.

In the description of your work at Diputació, 459, you tell us that you have tried to capture what for you is the real Barcelona, moving away from the purely monumental 'postcard' image. What is that real Barcelona like for you, and how have you represented it?

What fascinates me the most about my city is its ability to be beautiful and ugly at the same time, on different levels. The real Barcelona is contradictory, and it is from that contradiction, that internal and conflicting struggle, that I relate to my city. My city never ceases to amaze me. It is truly a unique place.

How was the creation process of the work? Did you have a clear idea from the beginning of what you wanted to capture?

Yes. I wanted to reflect that conflict both aesthetically and culturally.

What did you think of Berok's staging of your sketch on the wall?

Brilliant, very true to my original drawing. They've done a great job!

What has the project contributed to you personally? Would you do it again?

A new way to express myself, to be out on the street, in a big way. Of course, I would do it again!

The construction walls of NN Wallery are an ephemeral project; they remain for as long as the construction work lasts. How do you experience this temporality?

The world I move in (comics, advertising, etc.) is even more ephemeral, so I experience it with great normality. Being on a wall in Barcelona for a few months is one of the least ephemeral things I've done!

Do you think Barcelona lacks 'art' in its streets?

I believe that in Barcelona there is a lot of art. Much more art, in any case, than projection.

And finally, what projects are you currently working on?

I combine illustration commissions (editorial, communication, etc.) with the creation of comics in the French market.

Discover the project NN Wallery in its entirety here.