Cat lover, CHANOIR chose his artistic name in a reference to Steinlen’s poster: “le cabaret du chat noir”. His “CHA” ( “cat” from french) logotypes, drawn spontaneously, constantly change shapes. Naive and always expressive, they communicate their emotions to passers-by, according to the mood of the creative. Alberto’s father, Gustavo Vejarano, Colombian esoteric artist, transmitted to him the spiritual approach.
Thus, CHANOIR conceives art as a transmission of energy from mind to mind, with the aim of entertaining and playing with the spectator.
Since his beginnings, Alberto Vejarano has been constantly pushing the boundaries between graffiti, street art, logotypes and tags. Over the years he integrates into the post-graffiti universe the Kawaii and cartoon aesthetic, like current emojis. If the vitality of Latin and South American cultures animates him, it is in the streets of the 19th arrondissement of Paris that CHANOIR began his artistic journey, where he created his first CHA. And it is the street that still attracts him. For its freedom, its independence, its power of expression and for the people who populate it. It is the street that constantly disguises and transforms itself like Alberto’s CHA. Over the years, CHANOIR has extended his art towards performance, installation, photography, design and video art.
Jean-Michel Basquiat is a major source of inspiration for CHANOIR, but also icons such as Snoopy, Barbapapa, Monsieur Madame, Hello Kitty, the Shadoks, the Smurfs and Gumball. He is passionate about parietal art as well (also referred to as “cave art”) as its totemic paintings evoke the mystical power of primitive arts.