BIO & STATEMENT

Raúl Muñoz Casassola was born in 1982 in Móstoles, Madrid. From a very young age, he was drawn to the countercultural atmosphere that developed in the working-class neighborhoods of the 1980s and 1990s, and especially to urban movements such as graffiti and punk music. In the late 1990s, he began experimenting with wall painting, both as a self-taught artist and during nights out with graffiti artists. He moved to Talavera de la Reina and began his studies in artistic ceramics, while also having his first contact with other types of contemporary art forms, developing a taste for more classical aesthetics.

The artistic restlessness and the "orderly chaos" he experienced in the following years led him to move to different cities, probably seeking a constant evolution in his intuitive perception of reality, more akin to a scream, conceptually close to his beginnings in punk. For this reason, he doesn't 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. Along with other artists and cultural managers, he founded "Sin Ánimo de Nombre," an "artistic and cultural collective 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 a broad cultural background leads her work to focus on an aesthetic more inclined toward classical and figurative art, touching on social, sentimental, and humanistic themes.

Casassola infuses his imagery with the work of contemporary artists who would go on to establish his own style and influence: Antonio López, Francis Bacon, the Impressionists, Monet, and Pissarro, as well as classical Renaissance artists like Rubens and Baroque artists like Velázquez, using them as artistic references to apply to his work, whether in mural painting, art galleries, or museums. While Casassola previously created his work from a personal impulse, from this period onward we can appreciate a significant evolution in the artist, generated from his studio and the most vindictive and profound reflection that coexists within him.

In the artist's words: "I've been making art for as long as I can remember. I'm interested in everything that has to do with the human odyssey. I embrace with equal curiosity the excessive passions of first loves and the implicit tragedy of soup kitchens."

His participation in numerous group 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 group exhibition "Dak'Art" at the legendary Senegalese gallery Espace Medina. In 2015, his project "Incipiens" was selected by the Córdoba City Council as part of Color Urban Sur, a European project organized 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 as a muralist to participate in Muros Tabacalera, a cultural project that restores the walls of the exterior perimeter of the courtyard of the Tabacalera building.

His painting installation "Through the Looking-Glass" won an award and was exhibited at Mulafest 16, and he was selected by PalomArt to participate in the international emerging art exhibition, The Change, at the PAN Palazzo delle Arti in Naples. Casassola currently lives in Madrid, although he continues to work continuously on the ground around the world.

MOST RELEVANT EXHIBITIONS. 2024 Ithaka. Collective Exhibition. DDR ART GALLERY Madrid. Muralist Interventions in Spain. 2023 FIG Bilbao. Muralist Interventions in Spain. 2022 un(fair) Milan. International Contemporary Art Fair. JustLx Lisbon. FIG Bilbao. Muralist Interventions in Spain. 2021 FIG Bilbao. Muralist Interventions in Spain. Librarte. Artists' Book Fair, Burgos. 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 Program of the Fair. 2018 CamprovinArte. Camprovin, La Rioja. Wurth Foundation Award, best urban mural. Artaerorap. La Bañeza, León. Urban Intervention. Librarte, Artists' Book Fair, Burgos. 2017 "Con mucho arte" (With a lot of art) urban intervention in Toledo, winning the award for best mural. We Art Fair, Centro Conde Duque. (Best artist award WE ARE FAIR Fair.·” Madrid“Latidos” collective exhibition,” Hybrid” Madrid FAC Art Fair· 2016 “The Change” Collective 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 Projet and the Ministry of Culture·“Ciudad Anónima” 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 Biennial”. Collective exhibition. Curator: Moussa Traore. Gallery: Espace Medina (Dakar, Senegal) as part of the Dakar Contemporary Art Biennial. “Xeex” urban art intervention in the Medina district (Dakar, Senegal). Curator: Nicolás de la Carrera, as part of 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” Curatorial workshop with Tania Pardo, Rafael Doctor, Antonio Ballester Moreno, and Lucia Casani. 2012 “Artist Groups - Associative Experiences” Workshop. Hablar en Arte (Speaking in Art), Proyecto Rampa (Ramp Project), Espacio Menosuno, Mediodía Chica, Intercambiador, and Noestudio. 2012 “The Poem: Instructions for Use” with José María Parreño, Madrid.

COLLECTIONS . Wurth Museum. Fernando Encinar Collection. Private collections in Spain, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the US, and Mexico. 

CASASSOLA 's works can be seen at:

DDR ART GALLERY , Calle de la Encomienda 21, 28012, Madrid. 

info@ddrartgallery.com

Tel. +34 659819791