saddo is a romanian illustrator/street artist. his take on low brow art was shown in exhibitions all over the world. beside drawing and painting, he does skate boards, urban toys and occasionally large size murals. his harmonious collaboration with fellow artist and gf aitch translates to plenty of collaborations and sometimes joint exhibitions (click here and here). if you haven’t heard of him yet, this is your chance!
two of my favourite low brow art magazines featured his work: hi fructose and juxtapoz.
below, you have a momentary glimpse into saddo’s world:
why saddo? is saddo any different than raul?
initially a pseudonym was necessary as i was pretty active in the street art scene. lately though, i’m more focused on painting or drawing on canvas, wood, paper, etc. i occasionally paint murals, but i still kept my pseudonym as some people know me as saddo.
and, during the last years, art has become more and more important in my life, so there is no huge difference between saddo and raul.
what are your favourite themes? what inspires you?
i’m pretty much into any kind of art, from lowbrow, to naturalistic illustrations of plants and animals, african art, naive art, rousseau, bosch, walton ford, arcimboldo, etc. i also like story-telling in its many different forms: novels, myths, movies, etc. i like to think that each of my pieces is some sort of illustration of an untold story, or a still from a bigger picture.
i like to paint fantastical characters, sets, mixes of humanoid characters and animals or birds, plants, flowers, themes related to mythology, folklore, death, time, etc.
i’m also very inspired by aitch.
what is your work ethic?
usually “inspiration” just comes and goes, sometimes i can’t draw or paint anything, and sometimes i just can’t stop working. :p
but if i really have a deadline, either for a commissioned project or for an art show, i will just push myself no matter how uninspired i feel, so that everything is delivered on time.
do you have a day job or are you a fully independent artist?
nope, i haven’t had one in 4 or 5 years. i just sell artworks, do illustrations or murals for different clients or advertising agencies. i’m a mix of independent artist and freelance illustrator.
what is your relation with street art?
after I graduated from the university of art i was really confused about my possibilities. i didn’t really trust myself to share my work, stuff like that. so, for two years, i didn’t do any kind of art. and then I discovered street art and i tried to do it myself. timidly at first, doing small stickers and stencils. together with a bunch of very dear friends in cluj-napoca we founded this group called the playground. we used to work together, make stickers, paste-ups, stencils, even murals, it was really really fun. and i realized that art is not just high brow or serious, it can also be very accessible, fun to make and to share with others. and from this came all kinds of possibilities and opportunities. i got into drawing and painting again, i started painting big murals. i got to meet and know lots of other artists, collaborate with them, make pieces for lots of art shows in many different cities and countries. make illustrations for many cool projects. so street art pretty much revived my interest in art, and my self-confidence.
in the last years, i became more focused on doing works for art shows, commissioned illustrations, and occasionally murals for different clients or mural festivals, like fokus festival in goerlitz, germany, detour in holon, israel (collaboration with aitch), city bilder in dresden, germany (collaboration with other), street delivery in bucharest (collaboration with sinboy), and bukruk, next month in bangkok, thailand.
but every once in a while i miss the fun of going out with a bunch of posters, a bucket of wheat paste, some rollers+brushes and a few friends. so I paint some zombies or fantastic characters or big black tribal heads and paste them up in the street.
tell me about your upcoming shows.
aitch and i will have two shows in canada, this summer. the galleries (((parantheses))) in halifax, and la petite mort in ottawa. and we might paint a mural together with our friend other in montreal, meet some other artists, maybe have some other show, etc. we will be there for the whole month of june.
in february, i’ll be part of a mural / street art festival in bangkok, there’ll be a show with many different artists, plus i’m gonna fly there to paint a mural.
there might also be a duo-show with aitch and i in vienna in september, a mix of art prints and original pieces, but we don’t have too much info about this yet.
what are your favourite spots in the world?
me and aitch love walking through lisbon or venice or amsterdam, especially lisbon, we’d love to be able to live there someday.
while we were living in berlin we used to like treptower park.
thank you very much, raul!
find saddo on his website, tumblr, facebook, behance and flickr. click here to purchase saddo’s captivating pieces.
photo credits: saddo
8 comments
AITCH LIKES IT CUTE AND DARK - little aesthete's blog says:
Jan 18, 2013
[…] last but not least, she shares a super cool creative symbiosis with life partner and fellow artist saddo. […]
Ana says:
Jan 18, 2013
Comment dat de mine pe pag lui Cabral legat de subiectul: „Azi, pana in ora 09:00 am facut 200 de euro ”
Ana publicat @18:56 18 January 2013 / Comentariul tau asteapta aprobarea autorului
Si eu trebuia sa merg azi la Paris tot cu AF1089.
Cel putin 18 persoane (cate am numarat) au fost lasate “pe dinafara”. Cand am aj in aeroport , pt a nu sta la coada la check-in m-am indreptat direct catre automate pt a-mi face chek-in-ul sg si a scoate biletul. Dupa ce introduc nr biletului electronic, scanez pasaportul …. etc … imi spune Miss “Ana” …… we re not able to issue your boarding pass… please go to check-in desk …… mai fac o data – surpriza : acelasi raspuns. Ok,,, fie ,,,, ma duc la ghiseele de check-in erau 3 : nr 15-17 … cudat… pe ecarnele de deasupra fiecaruia nu scria (cum scrie deobicei) destinatia, nr zbor…. ci la unul scria cu rosu “sky priority” , la altul “customer service” si altul ecranul era pur si simplu negru . In fine…. stau la coada (erau “ceva” oameni) si se mergea f greu…. operatorii se uitau incurcati la monitoarele alea a lor din spatele tejghelei si emiteau cate un bilet fff lent ….
Era deja ora 6 si cel putin 50 de oameni asteptau la cele 3 randuri … la 7 pleca avionul. . La un mom dat operatorii ridica capul de dupa tejghea si tot intreaba -spun “cine are check-inul facut? cei care il au sa treaca in fatza”. Nimeni nu avea- de aia era asa imbulzeala , lol. Ba unii incercasera sa-l faca de acasa si nu reusisera (era un grup de 3 francezi ei spuneau asta acolo). Mai intreaba…. “nu l-a facut nimeni la automate?” raspuns din multine : “l-am fi facut deja si nu ar fi fost nev sa asteptam la dvs la coad DACA MERGEAU AUTOMATELE” nota : automatele functionau…doar ca nu emiteau bilet pt AF1089 pt ca erau deja mai multe bilete emise in sistem decat locuri in avion- termen pe care l-am invatat azi: OVERBOOKING. I-am intrebat cum se poate ca eu am BILET- cumparat din OCTOMBRIE! ei au spus ca trebuia sa fac chekin online sau sa vin mai devreme la ghiseu (eram cu 1h si 10 min inainte de zbor- so eram destul de devreme si regulamentar!) daca vroiam sa prind loc in avion. Adik acum e ordinea check-inului si e vina mea ca nu am fost prima la rand? si va sa zica- ei au dreptul sa VANDA nshpe locuri in plus si e vina noastra ca nu ne dam coate sa fim primii acolo la tejghea?!? Inaintea mea mai arau 3 pers : o dn’a in varsta – careia i s-a dat bilet , dupa ea un cuplu … ea de vreo 35-40 ani insarcinta cu ditamai “burtica” si cu sotul ei . dupa care eu. Ei! exact la ei s-au “oprit” emiterea locurilor in avion. vero 15 min nimeni de la cele 3 ghisee nu mai zicea nimic desi erau intrebati ce se intampla. dupa care ramane numai un angajat care spune ca noi astia ramasi suntem in OVERBOOKING . I-am intrebat dk e normal… ca nu mi s-a mai intamplat asta si a sp ca “da, deobicei se vand cu 5-6 bilete mai multe dect locuri pt ca se intampla ca unii pasageri sa renunte la zbor si astfel ei Air France-ul se asigura ca avionul pleaca cu toate locurile pline!. asta era imp pt ei : sa fie locurie absolut toate ocupate, nu pasagerii ramasi in aeroport care au platit pt biletul resp ca toti ceilalti (din avion) … pasagerii nu-s imp pt companie…. locurile sunt importante! Si nu erau 5-6 bilete cumparate in plus. Erau CEL PUTIN 18 i-am numarat …. CABRAL- unde erai??? Si multi aveau traseul mai departe de Paris…. Parisul era doar un segment de zbor… si de acolo aveau alt zbor (corelat ca orar) spre destinatia finala. De ex un “baietel” f dragalas care zbura spre L.A. (mmm… chiar ca era dragutz)…. earm ochii mei numai pe el (discret, bineinteles!) si se facea ca “absorbeam” f usor toate inf despre si din jurul lui….chiar si cele 2 vb la ghiseu despre destinatia finala….si era si singurel, mmm! in fine … . Tipa insarcinata cu sotul au facut un scandal (pe buna dreptate) cum ca mai aveau cateva ore —- nu se stia deocamdata cate —- de asteptat si ea nu prea putea sa stea in picioare. (apropo… f aiurea ca au luat scaunele din sala pana la intrarea catre ghiseele de chech-in – asta am obs cand ea se aseza pe bagaj si am simtit pe propriile picioruse cat am stat 3 h cand astia noi care au ramas cu biletu “in aer” dar cu “funduletul” si harsanlele de bagaje la sol in Otopeni si asteptam dupa sa fim “redistribuiti” la alte zboruri.
Ce nu mi s-a parut corect si nici regulamentar cf normelor pe care orice companie aeriana este obligata sa le respecte :
– n-au anuntat ca e overbooking decat la final cand ceilalti faceau imbarcarea – de ce spun ca au incalcat regulamentul – (asta am aflat ulterior acasa “rasfoind” inf despre OVERBOOKING pe net) cei de la ghisee trebuiau sa spuna DE LA INCEPUT LA TOTI pasagerii ca-s mai multe bilete cump decat locuri si trebuiau- cf normelor-1: SA INTREBE CARE SE OFERA VOLUNTARI pt urmatoarele zboruri si 2:SA MENTIONEZE ca voluntarii vor fi “recompensati” – cum zice ca a fost Cabral pe care nu l-am vazut ))) nici prin aeroport nici la ghiseele 15-17 . in fine … o fi fost mai devreme (dr dca a fost mai devreme ar fi avut deja loc in avion!) si o fi stiut sg doar el ca era overbooking (i-or fi spus lui discret si l-au si rambursat “in culise”- ca era vedeta – si daca facea el scandal- se auzea aiurea numele Air France in presa – ASTA DACA A FOST ACOLO – eu nu l-am vazut nici la coada la tejghelele 15-17, nici printre cei ramasi fara locuri , nici la biroul AF pt recompensare unde am ast vreo 2 h dupa aceea noi astia “abandonati”. Si deh – e “maricel”…. nu cred ca putea fi trecut cu privirea. Sau poate a fost inf de zborul AF1089 de azi si o rel ca pe o experienta personla . in fine , ce mai conteaza ))),? blogul sa fie sau sa dea “real life ” .
Revenim … si dupa scandalul facut de acel cuplu asteptam cu totii la biroul AF pt “redirectionare” pe alte avioane,la alte ore. acolo INCA O NEREGULA (defapt mai multe): NU AM FOST INF DESPRE DREPTURILE PE CARE AVEM – drepturile psagerilor- ASA CUM SUNT OBLIGATI S-O FACA cand ceva nu decurge normal ( de exL intarzieri, anulari etc… SI overbookinguri!!!). NU NE-AU SP CA AVEM DREPTUL LA RAMBURSARI (asa cum zice Cabral ca i s-au dat) – si repet – nu l-am vazut nici la checkin , nici la biroul af unde eram fost toti cei ramasi in aeroport . Nu ne-au sp ca avem dr la ANULAREA ZBORULUI CU RAMBURSAREA TOTALA , CA … in fct de nr de ore pana la urm zbor AVEM DR LA ANUMITE PRIVILEGII …. in fine …. ne-au spus doar in fct de fiecare care unde mergea ca leg urmatoare e cu zborul x la ora y! … NIMIC DE RAMBURSARI, DESPAGUBIRI SI ALTE DREPTURI. INCALCARE GRAVA A REGULAMENTULUI FATA DE DREPTURILE PASAGERILOR!
ACUM SUNT OK! eram pachet de nervi inabushiti la aeroport vb aia :” sunt inofensiv dar gandul meu e criminal” (Parazitii). dar …. pana la urma face bine o vorbaraie aici pe browser catre necunoscuti. acum kiar ca sunt mai bine . Terapie terminata ! Va multumesc ca m-ati “citit” ! .
Numai bine si week-end placut!
comment 2 pe pag lui Cabral: Ana publicat @19:08 18 January 2013 /Comentariul tau asteapta aprobarea autorului
he he,,,, fie vb intre noi Cabral —- nu cred c-o sa afisezi , cel putin nu IN INTREGIME, mesajul anterior
Mimi says:
Feb 2, 2013
Amazing!!!! I love his work…thank you for blogging about him 🙂
little aesthete says:
Feb 3, 2013
i’m glad you like saddo’s work. did you check the post on aitch? her stuff is also very good 🙂 also, stay tuned, i have more such posts coming up 🙂
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