Dibujo Madrid. © Lucas Agudelo
These days people get more and more creative; they move to other places to start business, create new ideas and execute them without any doubts. Lucas Agudelo is an example of this worldly development. “People want more, nowadays. They go beyond and further to find what they are looking for. Me, I came all the way from Colombia,” he says. Agudelo came to Madrid nine years ago with a masters degree in art, an open view and the wish to change the world through art. He soon found Tabacalera, a cultural platform for all kinds of artists with all kinds of ideas.
As an artist who paints and draws, he wanted to inspire more people to express themselves through art. “I want to be useful for society. I want to contribute. When people think about things twice, which happens when people look at art, they create discussion. And this is really important in all layers of life.” One year ago Agudelo started an event called Dibujo Madrid. Every Tuesday evening he organises a get-together with a group of artists who sketch or people that like to (or learn how to) draw. This week there is a cowboy theme. Five people are volunteering to model dressed in the most crazy and beautiful outfits, though with a low budget. The place where the event is held is in the main hall at Tabacalera, a huge room set up with lights and music just for the event. People come in slowly and take their regular seats. When the notebooks come out of bags, it is time to start. Tension, concentration and some fun too.
The drawing session
Dibujo Madrid. © Lucas Agudelo
After the drawing session, all the drawings are uploaded to a Facebook page, but names are not written down. Everything is supposed to stay anonymous. “This is because we don’t want the artist to become more important than the drawing itself.” Every week there is a new theme, and this can be anything: “From a circus setting to the band Kiss, people can share ideas, and most of the time we try to use all of them. This makes the people more involved and creative. Even the location can be different, if someone has a good idea for a painting session.”
The weekly event is not based on money, as it is completely free for everyone. Just bring a notepad and you are welcome to contribute in whatever way you prefer – a drawing, a painting, a poem. “Creating a discussion amongst people is not the only goal of this event. There is also the value of friendship, the exchange of thoughts, the expression of your individual mind and creating a network,” says Agudelo.
Zoe Schlanger is one the the drawers in the group Dibujo Madrid. She feels like every person needs art in his life. “Without art there are only superficial thoughts. You can use art to tell your story, whatever it may be. Commercial culture and art in Madrid is not hard to find, but the non-commercial artists and art is quite hard to find. In centres like Tabacalera creative people find each other and help each other to get further in life,” she says.
Dibujo Madrid is part of a bigger organisation, called Mundo Dibujo. Agudelo is also the co-ordinator of this program. Agudelo wants to spread the word about this organisation. “I want to create these events all over the world and get people to draw, create, imagine and think,” he says. “At the moment we have already started Dibujo Alicante, Dibujo Buenos Aires, Dibujo New York, Dibujo Murcia, Dibujo Bogotá, Dibujo Cali, Dibujo Managua and Dibujo Barcelona.”
The drawing “how to” book
Dibujo Madrid is not the only thing going on in Agudelo’s life. He doesn’t just see himself as an artist; he sees himself as a person who wants to change reality through his artwork. Agudelo wrote, for example, a book: Retratos Rostros y expresiones (portraits of faces and expressions) that shows and teaches people how to draw, but not quite the way you would expect. The book is a parody on an already existing book that teaches how to draw through pictures of rich, famous and elegant people. Agudelo made a copy of this book, but used faces of poor people or just random people on the streets. “I did this to make people think about things twice that seem completely normal. My whole view on this I wrote in another book, explaining my parody, as well. There are no steps, like in the original book. This is because I think everybody should decide for himself when his drawing is finished.”
