Raul Casassola

Raul CASASSOLA - Daffodil.

Técnica: Pigments on tibetan cotton paper of high grammar.

Biografía del Artista: Raúl Muñoz Casassola was born in 1982 in the Madrid town of Móstoles. From a very young age he was attracted by the countercultural atmosphere that developed in working-class neighbourhoods during the 80s and 90s and especially by urban movements such as graffiti and punk music. At the end of the 90s he began to experiment with wall painting in a self-taught way and on nights out with graffiti artists. He moved to Talavera de la Reina and began his studies in artistic ceramics, while at the same time having his first contact with other types of contemporary artistic manifestations, developing a certain taste for the more classical aesthetic. The artistic restlessness and the “ordered chaos” that he lived with in the following years made him move to different cities, probably seeking a constant evolution in his intuitive perception of reality, more similar to a scream, conceptually close to his beginnings in punk. That is why he does not hesitate to sign with different nicknames, pursuing anonymity that allows him to experiment in other artistic disciplines. In 2011 he moved back to Madrid, where he began his studies in Fine Arts at the Complutense University. Together with other artists and cultural managers, he founded “Sin Ánimo de Nombre” (Without Name), an “artistic and cultural collective that was born with the idea of ​​joining forces to produce artistic work.” He currently works as a cultural manager and curator on various projects. Continuing her training, in 2013 she attended the curatorial workshop “Who, how and where” taught by Tania Pardo and assisted by Rafael Doctor, Antonio Ballester Moreno and Lucia Casani. This combination of collective work and breadth of cultural foundations makes his work focus on an aesthetic more inclined towards classical and figurative art, touching on social, sentimental and humanistic themes. Casassola imbues his imagination with the work of contemporary artists who would gradually establish their own style and line; Antonio López, Francis Bacon, the Impressionists, Monet and Pissarro and classical Renaissance artists such as Rubens or Baroque artists such as Velázquez, taking them as artistic references to apply to his work, whether in mural painting, art galleries or museums. If previously Casassola created his work from a personal impulse, from this period onwards we can appreciate a significant evolution in the artist, generated from the study and the most demanding and profound reflection that coexists in him. In the artist's words: “I have been making art for as long as I can remember. I am interested in everything that has to do with the human odyssey. I embrace with equal curiosity the excessive passions of first loves, as well as the implicit tragedy of soup kitchens.” His participation in numerous collective exhibitions and urban art projects has led him to visit different countries where his work is increasingly appreciated. In 2014 he was invited to the Dakar Biennial, where he participated as an urban artist in the Medina district of Dakar and in the collective exhibition “Dak'Art”, in the legendary Senegalese gallery Espace Medina. In 2015, her project “Incipiens” was chosen by the City Council of Córdoba as part of Color Urban Sur, a European project organised by El Arsenal, a space for the creation and dissemination of culture, art and knowledge. In 2016, he was selected for his first solo exhibition, “Ciudad Anónima” at the CEART museum in Fuenlabrada, and was selected as a muralist to participate in Muros Tabacalera, a cultural project that restores the walls of the outer perimeter of the courtyard of the Tabacalera building. His pictorial installation “Through The Looking-Glass” is awarded and exhibited at Mulafest 16 and he is selected by PalomArt to participate in the international exhibition of emerging art The Change, at the PAN Palazzo delle Arti Napoli. Casassola currently lives in Madrid, although he continues to work continuously on the street around the world. ARTISTIC CURRICULUM CASASSOLA represented exclusively by DDR ART GALLERY MOST RELEVANT EXHIBITIONS. 2022 a(fair) Milan. JustLx Lisbon FIG Bilbao. 2020 FIG Bilbao. Urban Art Mural Intervention, Valladolid. 2019 - FIG Bilbao, International Fair of Engraving and Works on Paper. Live intervention, “live painting” action within the Official Programme of the Fair. 2018·- CamprovinArte. Camprovin, La Rioja. Wurth Foundation Award, best urban mural. Artaerorap. La Bañeza, Leon. Urban Intervention. Librarte, artist book fair, Burgos. 2017 - “With a lot of art” urban intervention in Toledo, winning the award for best mural. We Art Fair, Centro Conde Duque. (Best artist award at the WE ARE FAIR Fair.·” Madrid “Heartbeats” collective exhibition, “Hybrid” Madrid FAC art fair 2016- “The Change” Group exhibition. Curator: Antonio Palumba. PAN Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, Naples Italy. Mulafest. Madrid “Trough the looking-glass” Award-winning installation within the BURN Call. “MurosTabacalera” Urban intervention on the exterior of Tabacalera Madrid. Organized by Madrid Street Art Project and the Ministry of Culture. “Anonymous City” Solo exhibition at the CEART museum in Fuenlabrada, Madrid. 2015 - “Color urbansur” European project organized by “El Arsenal” and the City Council of Córdoba. “Iberencontros” International meeting between artists and cultural managers in Castelo Branco, Portugal. Urban art intervention. 2014 “Dak'Art. Dakar Biennale” Group exhibition. Commissioner: MoussaTraore. Gallery: Espace Medina. (Dakar, Senegal) within the Dakar contemporary art biennial. · “Xeex” urban art intervention in the Medina district (Dakar, Senegal). Curator: Nicolás de la Carrera, within the Off Biennial of contemporary art in Dakar. Artistic Training. 2011 “Degree in Fine Arts”, Complutense University, Madrid 2014 “Graphic design of multimedia editorial products” Madrid 2013 “WHO, HOW and WHERE” Curation workshop, with Tania Pardo, Rafael Doctor, Antonio Ballester Moreno, Lucia Casani. 2012 “Artist groups – Associative experiences” Workshop. Speaking in Art, Rampa Project, Menosuno Space, Midday Girl, Interchanger, Noestudio. 2012 “The poem: Instructions for use” with José María Parreño Madrid