What most people see as a metal crate on wheels, the Truck Art Project sees as an empty canvas ready to be filled.
In Spain, transportation vehicles are being handed over to local artists to have them transformed into a moving gallery. The aim of the project is to bring street art back to its origins: the streets. Artists are given complete creative freedom and can design anything they want on a fleet of provided vehicles. The Truck Art Project acquires trucks of all sizes to accommodate the artist’s needs. While one piece may require a large long-distance truck, another might be better on a smaller local delivery vehicle.
Jaime Colsa, the director behind the movement, started the Truck Art Project in 2013 when he commissioned Okuda San Miguel to paint a mural in his company’s warehouse. The concept of bringing street art to the public then escalated into the idea of having the public see the work in motion across the country. The movement has now grown to over 20 completed trucks and 80 more are planned for the future.
With such a diverse pool of artists coming from all different backgrounds, each truck is not only one of a kind, but showcases a variety of artistic styles ranging from Photorealism to Spanish Pop Surrealism. Each artist covers the metal canvas differently, with spray paint, traditional brush and oil, or photography.
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According to Colsa, at first truckers “couldn’t understand what kind of idiotic things had been painted on their truck, but they now see that people really watch them drive past and often photograph their truck.” Now Colsa has a waitlist of artists ready to jump aboard and have their art showcased all around Spain.
