Artez is a Serbian street artist and muralist based in Belgrade, known for his large-scale public works that move between figurative painting and illustrative abstraction. His artistic practice is deeply connected to its environment — not only in the physical sense of architecture and urban surfaces, but also through the cultural and human dynamics that shape public space.
Having created murals across Europe, South America, and Asia, Artez has developed a visual language that treats the city not as a backdrop, but as an active participant. Walls, distances, existing colors, and architectural constraints are not obstacles, but predefined elements that guide each composition. His works aim to belong to their surroundings — to feel inseparable from the place they inhabit.
Painting as Balance
For Artez, painting is not simply a passion; it is a necessity. Time spent creating is the only time he feels truly balanced — mentally, emotionally, and physically. This sense of equilibrium is what drives his artistic practice forward.
Rather than jumping from one idea to another, his work evolves through focused thematic exploration. At any given time, he concentrates on a few specific concepts, allowing them to develop in depth. Ideally, each final piece remains within these boundaries. However, working in public space requires collaboration, negotiation, and adaptation. Multiple stakeholders, local conditions, and the demands of each site often reshape the original idea — a reality Artez embraces as an integral part of the process.
The City as a Framework
The environment plays a decisive role in shaping each mural. Viewing distance, architectural scale, and the existing color palette of a site strongly influence his decisions. Rather than imposing imagery onto a wall, Artez seeks integration — his works feel organically embedded in their surroundings, rather than simply placed upon them.
This sensitivity to place is especially evident in his ongoing series SIMPLE ACROBATICS, where the human body becomes a dynamic element interacting directly with urban surfaces. Bodies stretch, balance, and respond to architectural forms, transforming walls into spaces of movement and tension. In the series THIRST, Artez draws from local culture and the universal act of drinking, using a simple, shared human gesture to reflect collective experience.
Color Without a Signature
Artez works with a predefined palette from which he mixes all other colors. However, he consciously avoids relying on a single “signature” color. For him, recognizability through repetition of one color is an easy route — and precisely for that reason, he rejects it. The identity of his work emerges through structure, composition, and conceptual clarity, rather than chromatic repetition.
When Focus Fades
A “bad” creative day for Artez has less to do with failure and more with a loss of focus. Days when concentration slips, or when painting only begins shortly before leaving the wall, feel incomplete. If he doesn’t manage to start at all, he doesn’t consider it a creative day. Still, he accepts these moments as an inevitable part of a long-term practice.
Influences Beyond the Wall
Live performance deeply inspires him — especially music, theatre, and dance. The immediacy of a live act resonates strongly with his approach to public painting. Cinema and television also inform his thinking, particularly through color palettes and compositional choices. Reading remains a constant presence, often shaping his perspective in subtle, subconscious ways.
Art, Audience, and Patience
When asked what he would change about the way we perceive art today, his answer is simple: nothing. He believes that people are naturally drawn to what resonates with them. Remaining committed to one’s vision, he argues, is enough — the right audience will find the work in time.
What he hopes for when someone stands in front of one of his murals is not a specific emotion, but a question. Why this image? Why here? What story lies behind it? If a dialogue begins — even silently — between the viewer and the wall, then the work has succeeded.
References and Sound
Among the artists who have influenced him are Aryz, for his continuous evolution; Daev Momo, for his mastery of shape and form; Case Maclaim, for his long-standing consistency at the top of his field; Ivan Floro, for a level of painting skill few can reach; and Sainer, for his bold and successful transition from figurative to abstract painting.
Music accompanies his creative process in a fluid and ever-changing way, and at the moment, “Planet Caravan” by Black Sabbath sets the tone.
Looking Ahead
When asked who he would like to see featured in a future Art & The City, Artez turns his attention to Greece — specifically Monos Sotos Studio, whose work he believes deserves greater visibility.
In Artez’s universe, murals are not statements imposed on the city. They are conversations — carefully balanced, deeply connected to their environment, and shaped by the spaces and people that surround them.
You can follow him on Instagram to explore more of his work, or visit his website directly.
