JAY KAES IS A URBAN ARTIST BASED IN LONDON
JAY KAES IS A URBAN ARTIST BASED IN LONDON
Jay Kaes is a Spanish Urban Artist living in the UK, his murals can be seen around the world. His aim through his art is to motivate the people looking, with pieces of art loaded with modern references and meaning, addressing current issues to contribute something positive to society.
Jay’s innovative art concepts bring his art to life by integrating the newest AR technology into many of his pieces enabling the viewer to interact and feel part of the art they are seeing. His style is unique and a reflection of how technology has progressed over recent years – this blend of painting, street art and tech makes a mind-bending combination.
Jay Kaes creates a version of the world that glitch as if reality is an illusion.
27 years with a spray can
Jay Kaes has achieved remarkable things in his career, with 27 years of experience in spray painting and holding a Master’s degree in Fine Arts. He has painted a monumental ceiling mural on a bridge in Spain, a mural on an 8-story building in Greece, and a 600 sqm portrait in Spain, to mention a few. His large-scale murals can be seen in London, most European countries, Wynwood Miami, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. Collaborating with established brands like Sony, Netflix, Virgin Atlantic, and American Express, among others, Kaes has contributed murals to diverse projects.
Beyond public murals, Jay's experience in live art performances has taken him to famous events such as London Fashion Week and Secret Walls. Expanding his horizons, he transformed a Porsche 911 into an art car and applied his distinctive style to ultraviolet light with neon murals. In many projects, Jay Kaes blends art and technology, integrating AR into his murals.
Jay Kaes' artwork has been seen in galleries worldwide. Recent projects include creating wall murals for Wynwood Mural Fest in Wynwood Miami, a large-scale mural for Medellin Street Art Festival in Medellin, an artistic residency at Mausa Bitche in France, and a mural for Nau Bostik in Barcelona.
WALLS THAT TALK -
WALLS THAT TALK -
“ My goal is to create paintings that speak for themselves, motivating people to engage in meaningful debates about the world we live in. The artwork alludes to a cultural state in which the production of information through the media has reached such immense scale that it has surpassed the boundaries of reality, giving rise to many distorted versions but not a single reality”.
“The things I create are my interpretation of the world, and they appear to be distorted like a glitch, giving the impression that reality may not be as it seems.” .
“I enjoy exploring the limits of what is possible in art by combining traditional freehand drawing with modern AR technology, video, photography, or any other digital techniques that allow my paintings to speak for themselves.”.
why glitch?
“My paintings embrace errors, glitch-like distortions, and imperfections as aesthetic elements, I challenge traditional notions of perfection and beauty. I advocate for celebrating the uniqueness of every individual, questioning stereotypes, and finding beauty in our differences.”.
get to know the story.
Jay’s artistic background is rooted deeply in his younger years – his journey to now was an upward struggle at times overcoming battles with confidence and getting acknowledgement for his work.
After his parents separated when he was a kid, his mother juggled taking care of him with 3 jobs, which lead Kaes to spend a lot of time on the streets. He soon became part of the local graffiti scene, tagging his name around but was lacking direction and motivation to become an artist, until at 18 his mother
gave him an ultimatum to stop his graffiti lifestyle.
This was the break that Kaes needed to make a change. He moved out and got a scholarship to study a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. Kaes travelled by bus 200 km every day for 5 years to the University of Basque Country. He ended up being kicked out of painting classes for using spray paints. During his time at University he began creating animations and representations of his life through photography, the basis of some of his work today.
On graduating University, Kaes moved to the UK to continue his education in London. Here he struggled once again to gain recognition and acknowledgment for his art. He worked in a salsa club and as a bartender whilst slowly gaining confidence in his artwork. Jay was finally accepted and encouraged to become a painter by London West Bank Gallery, Paint Freaks and Red Gallery who gave him the space to work on.