Cesc Abad (Barcelona 1973), was born as the only child of a family dedicated to the family business. At the age of 15 he was expelled from school and it is at that moment when he is attracted to the world of visual arts. So, on condition of working in the family business, his father pays him his first painting studio. It was in those early years of his artistic career that Cesc experimented and exhibited his first works.

At the age of 21, his father died suddenly, and Cesc remains in charge of the family business. That is a key moment in Cesc’s life as he changed the way he understood art, the world and himself. Cesc served as manager of the family business, always directing it with a creative point of view. During his time as an entrepreneur, Cesc created more than ten successful companies in different fields and it is in this period that he realizes that his passion for painting makes him seem weak in front of his business colleagues, so he decides to hide it: since he had the economy and the sufficient time, installs an annexed study to his company under the strictest secrecy. This studio is located next to his office with a door that allows him to have direct access, and it is there where he constantly experiments with materials and different techniques. This hidden space is called by its employees as “The Wall“, a mysterious space since no one but his family knows what is behind it.

After leading a double life for 20 years, he decided in 2016 to sell his companies, and dedicate himself solely and exclusively to artistic creation. He took the opportunity to move to a more modest studio and begins to prepare his works to show them to the world. It is at that moment that he decides that his passion for art and painting is no longer a secret.

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From The Room Studio we have had the opportunity to interview Cesc Abad and obtain some answers about his intriguing art.

• Throughout your professional career, dystopia has played a big role. Why? What does dystopia represent to you? What dialogue do you want to open with this content? In some moments of my professional career, dystopia has served me as a tool to give a coherent discourse to my concerns. For me, dystopia represents an imaginary where I can criticize certain attitudes of society.
• Symbolism has also been an important element in your works, what do you want to transmit with the mutated animals that are repeated throughout your works? It is a kind of dystopian tale in which human action alters our biodiversity. We are inhabitants of a world in constant change. We can appreciate this change in the little things, in daily actions that we execute automatically, without thinking, without valuing them, but that little by little leave a mark on our lives, on our health and on our DNA.
• After so many years studying the great masters of painting, who would you say are your references? Who do you most identify with? Nowadays, and after many years of seeing lots of paintings, I feel very comfortable with the expressionists (Munch) and a love towards nature a little post-impressionist. But at the same time with a resurgence of the new American figuration.
• How has your artistic process been until you reached that post-impressionist brushstroke as your personality as a painter? Were you clear from the first minute that this was your style, your identity, or was it an evolution throughout your experience? My brushstroke has been an evolution. I have gone through multiple stages, like all artists, where trying and feeling influenced is the most common, until you find your own brushstroke with which you feel comfortable.
• Do you remember a decisive moment in your career when you went to see an exhibition and were positively impacted? There was a moment, when I was 18 years old, when I had the opportunity to spend some time in Madrid, alone, and I spent every day, one after another, at the Museo Del Prado sharing concerns with the copyists who worked, at that time, in the museum. Obviously, I have seen hundreds of exhibitions, and there have been numerous occasions in which I have been impressed by them.
• What does art mean to you? It is an obsession.
• Art has not always been your main occupation; You spent 20 years hiding your passion in the so-called “Wall” without anyone knowing that you were painting. What do you remember from that time? It was like a roller coaster. On one hand I was a man with great business success and on the other I was a night worker creating works of art, which at that time, I knew no one was going to see.
• How did you manage to face your fears and expose your works to the world? Actually this fear was a responsibility acquired after the death of my father, and after years of reflecting on who I was, I decided to be honest with myself and leave everything for Art.
• Was there a decisive moment that prompted you to go outside the wall? The urge to want to be yourself.
• What advice would you give to someone in a similar situation? Be honest with yourself
• Now that your painting is finally exposed to the public, has your way of expressing yourself in painting and understanding art changed? I still feel as free as when I painted behind the wall.
• Finally, what advice would you give to someone who has just entered the world of Art? To follow their instincts.

We want to thank Cesc Abad for the pleasure of allowing us to have this new series in our Espai Paris and for the trust placed in The Room Studio. We are very excited to be able to share this great exhibition with all of you. We can’t wait to see you here!