Jess Ucls: Surrealism And Pop Art In Barcelona

Jesús Uclés, born in Valencia in 1975, is a Barcelona-based artist whose work escapes any standard classification due to its unique blend of materials, techniques and new media. Breaking away from the academic tradition, his artistic expressions appear to incorporate elements of both Pop Art and Surrealism. His work is internationally recognized, and has been exhibited across the world in cities such as Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, New York or Valencia.
Despite having received lessons in different painting techniques throughout his youth, Uclés‘ artistic style appears to be preeminently self-centered, building on his own sense of improvisation and his desire to explore new forms of expression. The result is a unique mix of elements reminiscent of Surrealism, Fauvism and abstract expressionism, in his multifaceted creations.

“With my drawings I don’t have any influences, but strangely enough, in the case of my paintings, my main influences are musical and literary. I always paint or draw with music, especially electronic music of introspection (current and classic, such as New Order, Kraftwerk or Memento Mori), or rock with psychedelic hues (Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, Love) and this directly affects the work. With literature, it’s anything I can get my hands on, from science fiction to design tests. In terms of my overall graphic influence, it has to be street art, Surrealism and design in general.”

Uclés distinguishes between his drawings and his paintings. His drawings are undoubtedly surreal, while his paintings display clear elements of conceptual and abstract Pop Art. “My artworks are non-linear stories, free of any chronograms,” the artist explains.