Blending the Everyday with the Extraordinary

 Urban Art Sculptures

TOILET – An Original Artwork Blending the Everyday with the Extraordinary

In 2023, Barcelona once again proved its role as a hub of avant-garde creativity with the presentation of TOILET, an original work that challenges our perceptions of art and daily life. Available at the prestigious Artevistas Gallery in Barcelona, this piece embodies the gallery’s mission of showcasing contemporary works that provoke thought, emotion, and conversation.

The Artwork in Detail

TOILET is not just an object but a deliberate artistic statement. Created using acrylic and toilette on wood, the sculpture measures 107 x 57 x 43 cm (42.1 x 22.4 x 16.9 inches). The materials chosen reflect both fragility and permanence, a contrast that is characteristic of modern urban art. By taking an everyday element—one so functional and often overlooked—and elevating it into an art object, the artist prompts viewers to reconsider notions of beauty, utility, and waste.

This duality is emphasized through the vibrant use of acrylic paint layered across the surface, transforming the toilet into a striking visual centerpiece. The medium bridges the line between painting and sculpture, giving the work depth and intensity.

Price and Accessibility

Priced at 1.800,00 €, the artwork is positioned within reach of serious collectors as well as enthusiasts seeking to invest in contemporary art. The gallery also offers a flexible payment option: three installments of 600,00 € at 0% interest (0% TAE). This makes the acquisition process more accessible and underlines Artevistas Gallery’s commitment to encouraging new collectors to participate in the art world.

It is important to note that shipping costs are not included in the listed price. Each work is handled with professional care to ensure safe delivery, maintaining the integrity of the original piece.

Artistic and Cultural Context

Barcelona has long been known for its vibrant street art and experimental art scenes. From the legacy of Antoni Gaudí to contemporary disruptors like Art Is Trash (Francisco de Pájaro), the city has nurtured creatives who challenge cultural norms. TOILET emerges in this lineage as a statement piece that blurs the line between fine art and the mundane.

To place a toilet at the center of an artistic composition is to question conventions and hierarchies within art. What is worthy of display in a gallery? Can utility be redefined as aesthetic? The artwork recalls Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain from 1917, a seminal piece in art history that redefined the boundaries of what could be considered art. Yet TOILET is more than a nod to Duchamp; it carries its own personality, infused with bold colors and the energy of contemporary Barcelona.

The Role of Artevistas Gallery

Situated in the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Artevistas Gallery has established itself as a home for contemporary artists working in painting, photography, and sculpture. With a collection that emphasizes originality and accessibility, the gallery provides a platform where local and international audiences can discover and purchase works that push creative boundaries.

By presenting TOILET, Artevistas continues its tradition of giving space to artworks that provoke dialogue and engage with modern realities. The gallery frames this piece not simply as décor but as a conversation starter, a cultural symbol, and an investment in the future of contemporary art.

A Reflection on Material and Message

The choice of wood as a base further enriches the sculpture. Wood carries connotations of warmth and tradition, while the toilet element introduces coldness and function. Acrylic paint bridges the two, injecting energy and contemporary flair. Together, these contrasts reflect the tensions of modern life: comfort versus necessity, permanence versus waste, beauty versus the banal.

Collectors’ Perspective

For collectors, TOILET represents more than an artwork—it is a chance to own a statement piece rooted in Barcelona’s creative pulse. Its manageable size allows for display in both private and public spaces, while its originality ensures long-term value in a contemporary art collection.

With an edition unique to 2023, this sculpture also serves as a timestamp in the evolving narrative of art in Barcelona. It encapsulates a year marked by experimentation and the growing international recognition of Spanish urban and contemporary artists.

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Specifications Recap

• Title: TOILET

• Medium: Acrylic and toilette on wood

• Dimensions: 107 x 57 x 43 cm / 42.1 x 22.4 x 16.9 in

• Location: Barcelona, 2023

• Price: 1.800,00 € (shipping not included)

• Payment Plan: 3 installments of 600,00 €, 0% TAE

• Available at: Artevistas Gallery – Barcelona

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TOILET invites us to pause and look again at the everyday. In its transformation from utility into art, it carries a playful yet critical commentary on modern life, and it firmly positions itself as one of the intriguing highlights of Artevistas Gallery’s 2023 collection.

The History of Sculptures

 

From Ancient Craft to Modern Expression

Sculpture has been one of humanity’s most enduring forms of artistic expression. From the first prehistoric carvings to monumental classical statues and experimental contemporary works, sculptures tell the story of human culture, belief, and imagination. Across time, they have served religious, political, decorative, and even rebellious purposes. Today, sculpture continues to evolve, and new voices like Art Is Trash (Francisco de Pájaro) show how this ancient tradition can still be reinvented in surprising ways.

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The Beginnings of Sculpture in Prehistoric Times

The roots of sculpture go back tens of thousands of years. Prehistoric communities carved figurines from ivory, bone, and stone. The famous Venus of Willendorf (c. 25,000 BCE) symbolized fertility, while other carvings represented spirits or ancestors. These small, portable objects reflected the needs of nomadic cultures but already revealed humankind’s instinct to give shape to beliefs through three-dimensional art.

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Sculpture in Ancient Civilizations

Egypt: Eternal Stone Forms

In ancient Egypt, sculpture was monumental and eternal. Statues of pharaohs and gods—like the Sphinx of Giza—projected divine power. Their rigid, frontal style symbolized stability and permanence, closely tied to the afterlife.

Mesopotamia: Power and Myth

Assyrian palaces displayed winged bulls and relief carvings, showing kings, battles, and protective deities. These works combined artistry with a strong political message.

Greece: The Pursuit of Perfection

Greek sculptors pioneered realism, proportion, and beauty. Early kouros figures were stiff, but by the Classical period, artists like Phidias and Polykleitos mastered naturalism and balance. Masterpieces such as the Discobolus and the Parthenon Marbles showed the human body in idealized harmony.

Rome: Portraits and Authority

The Romans adapted Greek art but emphasized realism and individuality. Busts of emperors, reliefs on triumphal arches, and equestrian statues celebrated leaders and victories while preserving personal likeness.

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The Middle Ages: Sacred Sculpture

In medieval Europe, sculpture became a key part of church architecture. Gothic cathedrals like Notre Dame in Paris were adorned with saints, gargoyles, and narrative reliefs that illustrated the Bible for the largely illiterate population.

In Islamic cultures, figural sculpture was avoided, and artisans focused instead on geometric and floral patterns, reflecting different spiritual traditions.

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The Renaissance: Humanism in Stone

The Renaissance marked a rebirth of classical ideals. Artists rediscovered anatomy, proportion, and perspective.

• Donatello’s bronze David was revolutionary in its naturalism.

• Michelangelo’s marble David became the epitome of sculptural mastery.

• Public statues celebrated not just religion but civic pride and human dignity.

Sculpture once again became a central art form, blending technical brilliance with humanist ideals.

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Baroque and Rococo: Movement and Drama

The 17th century Baroque period was defined by theatricality and emotional intensity. Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa seems to capture movement and divine vision in stone. Rococo sculpture later softened these forms into playful, decorative expressions found in aristocratic gardens and salons.

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The 19th Century: From Neoclassicism to Rodin

Neoclassicism revived Greek and Roman calm and harmony, with sculptors like Antonio Canova. But by the mid-19th century, Realism and Romanticism pushed art in new directions.

Auguste Rodin redefined sculpture, leaving surfaces rough and expressive in works such as The Thinker. His approach set the stage for modern sculpture, where emotion and abstraction would take priority over perfection.

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The 20th Century: Breaking Boundaries

Modern sculpture exploded with new ideas:

• Brâncuși simplified forms into essence (Bird in Space).

• Henry Moore created organic, abstract monumental works.

• Picasso and Cubists fragmented shapes into geometry.

• Constructivists turned sculpture into industrial, architectural explorations.

Sculpture became increasingly experimental, embracing new materials like steel, plastic, and found objects.

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Street Art Meets Sculpture: The Case of Art Is Trash

In the 21st century, sculpture entered the streets through the work of unconventional artists. One of the most unique voices is Francisco de Pájaro, known as “Art Is Trash”. Unlike most street artists who work with paint, spray cans, or murals, Art Is Trash transforms discarded objects into street art sculptures.

His works often involve broken furniture, mannequins, and household waste, reimagined into figures that are humorous, grotesque, and deeply critical of consumer culture. What makes him extraordinary is that he is perhaps the only street artist in the world who produces street art in the form of sculptures, blurring the boundaries between public installation, fine art, and urban protest.

These ephemeral sculptures, often left to decay on the street, highlight issues of waste, inequality, and human fragility. At the same time, many of his works have been preserved and exhibited in galleries, proving that sculpture continues to adapt to both public and private spaces.

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Contemporary Sculpture: Expanding Horizons

Today, sculpture embraces limitless forms. Artists use digital modeling, 3D printing, sound, light, and even living plants. Public sculptures such as Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate in Chicago or Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s temporary installations redefine urban environments.

Yet, the raw creativity of artists like Art Is Trash shows how sculpture can still be rebellious and democratic. By reclaiming trash and turning it into art, he challenges both traditional sculpture and the art market itself.

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Conclusion: Sculpture as a Mirror of Humanity

The history of sculpture reveals more than changing artistic styles—it reflects human values, fears, and aspirations across time. From prehistoric fertility figurines to Michelangelo’s timeless marble, from Rodin’s expressive bronzes to Art Is Trash’s trash-born sculptures, every piece tells a story about who we are and what we believe.

Sculpture, whether carved in stone or assembled from garbage, remains one of the most powerful and enduring languages of human creativity.