Okuda San Miguel vs. Art Is Trash –
Barcelona is a living canvas, a city where walls speak, alleys breathe, and colors tell stories. Within its vibrant street art culture, two artists stand out for their originality and global recognition: Okuda San Miguel and Art Is Trash. While both have deep connections to the urban art world, their creative approaches could not be more different.
Who is Okuda San Miguel?
Born in Santander, Spain, Okuda San Miguel has become one of the most recognizable contemporary urban artists in the world. His signature style—geometric patterns, bold color palettes, and surreal imagery—turns abandoned buildings, churches, and large-scale walls into kaleidoscopic visions. His work often merges human and animal forms, reimagining them in a fractured prism of rainbow hues.
Okuda’s art is monumental in scale and often permanent. From transforming churches into modern art temples to creating massive outdoor murals in cities like Paris, New York, and Tokyo, his projects aim to inspire awe. His themes touch on spirituality, the environment, identity, and the intersection of nature with urban life.
Who is Art Is Trash?
Art Is Trash is the alter ego of Francisco de Pájaro, a street artist originally from Zafra, Spain, now working primarily in Barcelona. His art lives and dies on the streets. Unlike Okuda’s large-scale, long-term murals, Art Is Trash creates spontaneous pieces using discarded materials—broken furniture, old mattresses, or any object society has thrown away.
His figures are cartoonish, grotesque, and often comedic, yet beneath the humor lies biting social commentary. Art Is Trash’s work is a protest against consumerism, waste culture, and the over-commercialization of art. It is deliberately impermanent—meant to be photographed, remembered, and then lost to time.
Style – Geometry vs. Chaos
Okuda’s style is highly structured, rooted in geometry, symmetry, and color theory. His rainbow polygonal patterns are instantly recognizable, creating a dreamlike harmony even in surreal compositions. Every detail is deliberate, every shape calculated.
Art Is Trash thrives in chaos. His installations are often messy, unpredictable, and alive with raw energy. Instead of perfectly planned compositions, his work interacts directly with the street environment—turning a pile of rubbish into a creature or a broken door into a political statement.
Themes – Spirituality vs. Satire
Okuda often uses his geometric dreamscapes to explore philosophical questions—about the human condition, environmental destruction, and cultural diversity. His art has a sense of transcendence, inviting viewers to see the world as interconnected and full of possibilities.
Art Is Trash operates on the ground level of society, using satire and irony to reflect the absurdities of everyday life. His works are fleeting but sharp, leaving a lasting impression precisely because they refuse to become permanent.
Presence in Barcelona
In Barcelona, Okuda’s work can be seen on large walls and curated urban spaces, often as part of festivals or official projects. His murals bring monumental bursts of color to entire city blocks.
Art Is Trash, on the other hand, pops up unexpectedly. You might find one of his characters in a narrow alley of El Raval or a street corner in Poblenou, only for it to vanish days later. His art is about discovery—accidental encounters that feel personal.
International Reach
Both artists have strong global followings. Okuda exhibits in galleries and participates in large-scale public art projects worldwide. His work bridges the street and fine art worlds. Art Is Trash also exhibits internationally—in London, New York, and Paris—but remains firmly rooted in street-level activism, keeping his strongest voice in the uncurated urban space.
Where to Explore Their Work Online
Art Is Trash:
Okuda San Miguel:
Final Thoughts – Two Sides of the Same City
Barcelona’s street art culture thrives on diversity, and Okuda San Miguel and Art Is Trash embody that spectrum. Okuda offers monumental, geometric visions that stand for decades. Art Is Trash gives us fleeting, witty interventions that vanish but remain etched in memory. One invites you to marvel at the scale of the universe; the other asks you to laugh at the absurdity of everyday life.
In the end, they are two essential voices—one building towering monuments of color, the other whispering bold truths from the shadows of the street.