Argentinian street artist Fio Silva wins International Talent Search and Prepares to Paint in London, Amsterdam and Milan

An international search for a street art star of the future has concluded with Argentinian artist Fio Silva winning the prize and coming to the attention of the wider street art world.

Organised as part of the Spring Projects ‘Next Big Thing‘ talent search, Silva will make her international debut painting the Shoreditch Art Wall on Saturday 7 March followed by a spot at the main event on International Women’s Day, 8 March, for Femme Fierce Reloaded, the largest gathering of female street artists ever assembled.

From Hurlingham, a little village outside Buenos Aires she had never previously left South America and had no passport. This was prior to a speculative entry into a competition which featured some of the Worlds top artistic talent from a total of 40 different countries and offered the chance of a lifetime to paint in some of the Worlds top locations.

With a jury featuring experts from around the artistic World, Silva’s work had an immediate impact with it’s dynamic colours and energetic portrayals of the natural world impressing immediately. According to Fio “I love to paint animals in fusion with organic things like leaves, branches, trees … I love to paint things that are moving, they are not static things, they mutate to become that change.”

Fios story is one of renewal through art, only deciding to focus on the streets at the age of 19 following a personal tragedy, the death of her boyfriend. “I always had an affinity and curiosity for drawing but even if I was at ease with drawing, I never thought I needed it to feel good.” said Fio. “Today it is what I love to do and what I need to do above all things.”

Now her art has come to the attention of the wider world with Spring Projects founder Bri Patty captivated by her story as well as her art, “Little by little the beautiful consolidating power of nature that she put on walls started to restore not only Fio but also the streets in her little village Hurlingham.” said Bri. For Fio, the recognition of her art on such a stage was a turning point “I am simply too immensely happy” she says, “the sadness of why I started painting finally is transforming into dreams for better times.”

After the main event at the tunnel, Fio will make her way to Amsterdam and then Milan where a short documentary film created by Lazy Eye Productions and regular Inspiring City collaborator Daniel Lucas will be screened for the first time. All in all it’s been a whirlwind for the artist who said, “I always thought that something like this could happen in a movie or something like that. I never even went on a plane in my life, and now I can do it.”

“There is no place that I love to paint more than the streets” says Fio. “I think it is the best place to express what I do, because it’s public and everyone has access to see what you do. To change the colour, shape and the content of a wall is mind blowing.”

Fio Silva Gallery