“I grew up in a humble working-class neighbourhood in Sabadell, a little city near Barcelona [Spain]. In a humble family living with my uncles, my mother, my brother and my grandparents, all together in a little flat,” says the artist and illustrator Luis Quiles.
Luis says he doesn’t remember when he first became interested in drawing, since he’s always had a passion for pencil and paper, however he does recall his early inspirations: “[they included] the classic manga artists from the eighties, like Leiji Matsumoto, Akira Toriyama, Hayao Miyazaki, Mitsuru Adachi.”
While there are clear similarities between Luis’s style and the Japanese manga comic style of drawings, Quiles’s has forged his own niche. His work is unique, usually featuring distressing themes such as corruption, poverty and the negative impact of social media. Graphic, and intent on shocking its audience, such is the provocation of Luis’s work it is frequently censored by art sharing websites. Although, as with all forms of art, Luis’s work is open to interpretation, there are clear messages behind each of Luis’s drawings.
Luis is currently working on a book to bring all of his drawings together, he says: “It will be a compilation of my most controversial works and new ones made only for the book.”
Luis to provide a better understanding of his work through his book, he explains: “Every single piece [of my work] has a meaning, but I think the real meaning of my work will be easier to understand with all my works together in the book. This is the compilation of many years of work, of me trying to express what I see and think about the world.”
Although Luis is yet to display at his first exhibition, this is something he hopes to do in the future, “because I miss real contact with people in my works.
“Usually I only take commissions that I really like to do. I use to refuse many works, usually because I don’t have time for everything.”
Luis is currently putting the finishing touches to his book, which will be available later this year.
“This is the compilation of many years of work, of me trying to express what I see and think about the world.”
Find out more about Luis here