the street is our gallery

La Banda del Rotu is a street art crew from Madrid. Five artists, using makers to paint small characters on the streets of Lavapies. They are a little bit crazy and use absurd humour to communicate with passers-by. We introduce you to  La Banda del Rotu ! 

(ISSA) – Hi, what You choose to drink? Coffee, tea, beer, soda or something else?

(Astro Naut) – our unofficial drink in many streets was Guarana, we even painted,  for a project in Madrid’s Metro, a bottle with us inside, as gas content. In Italy, I like to drink “Chino”, and in Berlin, “Club Mate”.

– Please introduce yourself to us? 🙂

 I’m Astro Naut, member of “La Banda del Rotu” crew that includes Rbn, Sabek, Curruncho and Mufasa.

– Where is your tag from?

Mine in particular (Astro Naut) is quite easy to guess. But the fact that I write it as a Name and Surname, separately, gives a particular identity. “forecastely aerospacial yé yé” (editor’s note : this is one of the crazy sentences that is almost impossible to translate 🙂 we’ve done our best).

La Banda del Rotu emerged improvising in the street a name for what we were improvising for, which was painting our individual characters using a marker as our first weapon. With termite’s style and black and white mind.

– How do you define yourself?

Define yourself is like go into in the water with a dolphin.

– How did it all start for you, how is it today?

Each member has been doing his stuff separately. But La Banda del Rotu adventure began timidly at Christmas 2013. And since then, the particle accelerator prompted us with boundless energy.

– What is the first thing you do when you get up in the morning?

As cyberspace addicted man, I turn on the radio and check social media, after that, it’s time for breakfast.

– What music would you pick up to accompany your art?

2 months ago I stayed at home painting for almost 35 days in a row. In the mornings, evenings, and late at night, drafting our project for the Moncloa Metro Station. And there where a couple of songs we hear almost like mantra to energize us and help us float in space. “hier kommt alex” from Die Toten Hosen, “don’t call me white” from Nofx and “La mia vita sensa te” from Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti.

– What inspires you?

The streets, delirium, comics, music, cinema and literature.

– What is on your check list before going out to paint?

My house key.

– Which Cities are inspirational for street art?

The corner of your street.

– Do you have Other passions?

Paff, Puff, Piff.

– What would be your wish for your Wildest project?

We want to paint a space shuttle and a mural in Pluto.

– In your works, do you have Symbolisms, messages or repeated patterns?

We work with icons, so the patterns mutate every time. Regarding messages, La Banda del Rotu uses messages from different sources of Rock, mainly from improvisation and non-poetry.

– What is your Reaction when your creation has been vandalised?

Whenever disappears something that was done with love, it creates anger. But it’s normal, street art is not eternal, such as Rome.

– What do you believe people think or feel when they see your art?

Complicity with people on the street is strong in our case. We make afternoons happier for some people, for others we screw their nights.

– Do you think that you have a Responsibility towards society as an artist?

I think, as a street artist, our place in society is to do our best work, strive to be original, creative and keep having fun.

– So what are your Future plans?

that our religion, called “You Cielo Pepino” has more followers that the Pope.

– Thank you Astro Naut for your time, we wish you all the best.

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