Born in 1982, INTI is from the young generation of muralists, a famous artistic movement of South America. And in spite of his modern generation, the artist is strongly connected with the History of his continent and its culture. The Chilean artist enjoys borrowing his references from Pre-Columbian art, Bolivian folklore as well as sacred art. His signature character is the Kusillo, an innocent looking clown dressed with patchwork clothes. This combination of patterns and warm colors dominates INTI’s art. Of course, he is famous for his large-scale murals around the world.
A street artist since 1996, he often collaborates with other graffiti artists and participates in street art festivals and events. His creativity and curiosity are pushing the former Fine Arts student to explore many different artistic mediums. He also explores bronze sculpture and has collaborated with Louis Vuitton for his iconic “carrés de soie”.
INTI means “sun” in old quechua. Mythological deities and Christian icons are mixing in his art. But his Virgins and Saints always share deeper social messages, heritance of the South American political murals. Poverty and violence are his main fights and he often uses children to illustrate societal issues. Carrying lambs, they are also icons of innocence in danger. Many of these children are refugees. The harsh communication hides in the details: patterns, symbols and eyes are talking about wars and consumerism while the luminous colors and poetic surrealism of his compositions induce a peaceful mood. Darkness and light, sadness and joy, politics, and beauty are always balancing in INTI’s art.
