Floors, a project by Catalan artist Javier de Riba

Javier de Riba is a Barcelona-based artist and designer. His work in public spaces changes your perception of them, his creative action helps improve the spatial and emotional quality of a place. For this project, he draws colourful Floors in abandoned places.


A project called “Floors” was never going to escape our notice here at Floornature. Catalan artist  Javier de Riba is a member of the Reskate Arts & Crafts collective, with whom he develops graphics and communication projects with a focus on sustainability and humane treatment. 
The name Floors says it all. Javier has developed his own singular style of street art rather than competing with graffiti tags and murals. He expresses his art on floors but not just any old floors...he selects them like canvases to express his artistic research: Javier de Riba looks for odd spots, places that are often abandoned or no longer in use.
In these decrepit, urban contexts he paints not a picture but a floor that references the patterns and colours of traditional Spanish tiles to turn it into an art form that is as unusual as it is powerful. The colourful, geometric pattern on a dirty, uneven surface surrounded by ruins completely changes the way we see this place. The idea of coverings as an added value is translated by Javier de Riba in decaying settings using spray paint and stencils, and what he adds to these spaces is not just a splash of colour but a new connotation.

He has crafted his Floors creations in different parts of Spain, from Barcelona to Tarragona to the Canaries, and outside the country in the Azores Islands, Portugal or in Vienna, Austria, inside abandoned buildings as well as in desolate green areas. 
The timeless beauty of the traditional tile patterns designed by Javier de Riba, sometimes working alongside local artists, stand in stark contrast with their derelict surroundings, thereby exuding wonder and joy. They make you really think about the importance of creativity in changing our perception, even down at floor level.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Javier de Riba http://www.javierderiba.com/
Location: Spain, Portugal, Austria
Year: now
Images: Courtesy of Javier de Riba