The mural on the fourth floor of the People´s Community Centre in Gothenburg is gigantic. It is eleven meters wide and measures nearly three meters in height. Details are intermingled with large design. We are faced with intense colors in an almost dreamy image. On Thursday, April 24th, the artist Rommel held a presentation about his painting.

– One can truly say that I have put my soul into this work. It has  taken me four months of full-time work to complete it but I’m happy, he says when we visit the People’s Community Centre. He has painted the whole picture freehand, using brushes and airbrush. A curtain was stretched up to protect others from the paint, so he only had one and a half meters distance from the wall. This meant that he had not yet seen the painting from a distance, but has been forced to be close and paint the small details. But since he enjoys painting smaller details, the narrow perspective suited him perfectly. It’s the first time he has painted such a large mural, and there lies an enormous amount of work behind this gigantic painting which contains three main tracks. One moment, where we are currently, the grim, harsh reality. That part looks industrial. We live in a very technologically advanced society, but we make use of  technology in an erroneous way – for instance by producing and selling weapons. We actually have all the prerequisites for a good life, but do not seem to have the ability to create a good society. In the center Rommel has painted the crossing, which we are facing, and is beginning to bear traces of a more organic society. Then, if we want, we have the future. The vision. Matriarchy. That’s where we need to go. – This is my vision, my view of our world. We cannot continue as we have done in the past. We only repeat ourselves through history. I believe in a matriarchy, there were good examples of it in ancient Egypt, and it’s time for a new era, a new age. As I see it, the matriarchy accounts for the new and different lifestyle. That’s what I want to communicate through this painting. We need to create a more balanced world.

Communicates through art

I assert that the painting is very political, despite its dreamy, utopian expression. The hope is for the women, matriarchy is clearly visible. Rommel agrees that the painting and his art can be seen as political, even if it is not his purpose. – I don’t belong to a political faction, but it’s important for me to visualize what I feel and what I see happening around me. To communicate this image is what my art is all about. The mural on the People’s Community Center is like one big world full of details, which is composed of many smaller worlds. Just like in real life. – This world is made up of many smaller worlds, but we only have one Earth and we must take care of it.

Multifaceted artist

Rommel Valenzuela does not feel the need to create a signature artwork – a clear design that would make people instantly recognize his work. If I would have to find a common denominator however, it could be that he likes bright colors. – This particular mural is a metaphor for the world. I like metaphors and what they can convey. I have my vision, what I want to express, and then it is up to the viewers’ own interpretations, what they envision in the future or see in the present. If they can see any hope or not. Rommel is a man full of surprises, something evident in his interest in different creative disciplines such as photography, graphic design and music. – I enjoy working in different fields. Sometimes I want to take a picture, in  another moment, I feel like creating music. To move between different expressions means a lot of freedom and I like having that independence, the important thing is to express whatever is inside me. That I can convey what I want to communicate. Rommel is interested in numerology and geometry. His mural in the People’s Community Center contains several examples of that. – It’s fun to play with both numerology and geometry and I spent a lot of time to figure out and paint the geometric shapes. The painting is full of geometric shapes and symbols, each with a specific purpose: to create balance. During my presentation, I will go through how I have thought, he says.

Street art

We get into the topic of street art and art in public spaces. Rommel Valenzuela thinks many artists are inspired by Banksy and his style and are attracted to the rebel in being anonymous and go out and paint on walls. – Anyone painting on a wall can not be considered an artist, but it’s an interesting phenomenon. I like street art but prefer to paint a scenery opposed to traditional graffiti. I want to see a message, a sense that you are trying to create a certain feeling. It’s okay if the painting is only decorative, but if you paint in the public domain, I think you can try to create something more, given that you have the opportunity to reach a different audience than those who normally go to the museum. Preferably, he would like them to engage in mural painting. The first mural was made in Rommel’s home country, Mexico, and one of the prominent figures in the genre, is the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. What is significant for a mural is that it tells a story. – Muralism has a clearer connection to other people and to society. Making a mural is to write and share another story, so you have to know what you’re talking about. It is a complex project where you have to be aware of what you communicate and how you express yourself. One should, for example, be careful with the use of symbols, as they can have a different meaning than what you originally intentended. You share your thoughts with the audience and you get their thoughts in return. It’s an act of communication.

Journalist: Anneli Abrahamsson