Greg Goya
Greg Goya (born 1998) is an Italian street artist based in Turin.
Art career[edit]
Goya's first foray into art was his creation of custom Nike sneakers, which he termed "sneaker art".[1] He then began working in the fashion industry. Goya left after four years, in 2022, which he credited to being tired of the tiring and stressful environment.[1]
Goya's first piece of street art, entitled "Kiss Stop", was in Murazzi in Turin. The piece consisted of a painted heart on the ground, with the label "kiss here". Goya uploaded a video of passerby's reactions to the piece on TikTok in December 2022,[2] where it quickly gained traction and accumulated one million views.[1][3] The video's success inspired Goya to continue with "fast art" street art installations.[1] By August 2023, he had 95,000 followers on Instagram,[4] which increased by October to 173,000 followers on Instagram and 100,000 followers on TikTok.[5]
Many of his works are installed in Turin, including in Porta Nuova, where he installed a clock which asked viewers "What is the right time?"; the numbers on the clock were replaced with the word "now".[4] At another Turin metro stop, he installed a hopscotch game.[6] In a March 2023 collaboration with the Palace of Venaria,[6] he installed a white bench with a painted question asking viewers who they would like to sit with.[1][3]
In May 2023, Goya was invited to display a work at the Street Art Museum in Narni, Umbria.[5] His chosen work was a crucifix in a box with a glass front, labeled in English, "In case of desperation, break the glass".[5] The piece received some backlash online, with users accusing Goya of blasphemy.[5] Also that month, Goya presented a piece at TikTok's booth at the Turin International Book Fair.[7][8]
Goya has largely developed a positive relationship with local police, especially due to his use of washable paint, but has faced backlash on social media for "defacing" streets and landmarks.[1][2][3]
Style[edit]
Goya calls his pieces "fast art", referring to how they can quickly provoke emotion in a viewer; he considers his work to be a hybrid between street art and performance art.[3][2] To achieve this, the pieces are often fairly simple.[2] Goya's works are also frequently interactive, such as offering people space to write an answer to a question, offering an item for people to take, or prompting viewers to perform an action.[1][3][9] When he uploads videos of his work to social media, many users will also answer questions posed by the pieces.[3]
Many of Goya's works focus on love and romance.[1] He has said he wants to "mature artistically" before making pieces that deal with social or political criticism.[1]
Personal life[edit]
Goya has not revealed his legal name, but has said he is from Turin[1] and that Gregorio was his baptismal name.[3] Goya was previously a law student before dropping out to pursue art as a career.[1][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ingemi, Federico (2023-07-25). "Marriage between social and street art: interview with Greg Goya". Acrimònia. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ a b c d Gallo, Chiara (2023-03-22). "Greg Goya: l'artista torinese che spopola sui social con la sua "fast art"". Torino Oggi (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Che cos'è la fast art? Intervista a Greg Goya, street artist torinese". tg24.sky.it (in Italian). 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ a b Serlenga, Alessia (2023-08-11). "Greg Goya, l'artista torinese che invita ogni passante a condividere le loro emozioni". Quotidiano Piemontese (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ a b c d Rota, Maria Carla (2023-10-10). ""Baciatevi, scrivete, leggete": la fast art di Greg Goya su TikTok". True News. (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ a b Cannavale, Chiara (2023-09-13). "L'artista Greg Goya: il creatore della fast art". Eroica Fenice (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ ""Affinità elettive" dell'artista torinese Greg Goya allo stand di TikTok per il Salone del Libro 2023". Newsroom | TikTok (in Italian). 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Ferrigo, Nadia (2023-05-18). "Al SalTo c'è anche TikTok, motore tutto nuovo dell'editoria (non solo per ragazzi)". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Drogo, Marco. ""Chiama i tuoi nonni, non sono per sempre": l'opera-messaggio dello street art torinese su una cabina telefonica". TorinoToday (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-12-18.