Pop of Colour

Recently named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 most influential international artists, Coco Dávez is on a fast trajectory to artistic stardom. Following collaborations with Chanel, Prada and Puma, and ahead of her first UK solo show this May, the Spanish artist discusses her pop culture icons, experimenting with fashion and the symbolic joy of colour

Words: Dom Jeffares

London looks incredibly glum on this March day. Drizzle spits in my face as I walk towards Mayfair’s Maddox Gallery, where I am meeting one of the art scene’s rising stars, Coco Dávez (real name: Valeria Palmeiro), who was recently included on Forbes’ list of 30 Under 30: Europe creatives.

The Maddox Gallery quite literally springs into full view thanks to the lavish bouquet of flowers that crawls up the Edwardian townhouse. Recognised as one of central London’s most Instagram-worthy spots, the contemporary space has three sister-galleries in the capital, as well as two overseas outposts in Gstaad and Los Angeles.

Awaiting Dávez, I sit cocooned in a deep leather chair and gaze at David Yarrow’s enormous monochrome photograph of an African elephant. Behind me is a 1985 silkscreen print by Andy Warhol – Be A Somebody With A Body it proclaims. In walks Dávez; dressed in a cheery palette of red and yellow – vermillion lipstick, a matching coat and a yellow tote bag – she looks like an embodiment of the Spanish flag. We’re here to talk about her latest exhibition Faceless, a series of graphic paintings dedicated to her idols, which will go on display at Maddox Gallery’s Westbourne Grove site in May.

Joining us in the gallery are Elvis, David Lynch and Karl Lagerfeld, in the form of her pop art-style paintings. Characterised by an interplay of bold hues and simple lines, her acrylic on canvas Faceless collection demands attention. Despite their large dimensions, there is a delicacy to the works, achieved by a masterful combination of playful colours.

Luckily all of Dávez’s subjects had great hair because, as the name suggests, her series of paintings are entirely faceless. “How on earth did you do Frida Kahlo without the eyebrows?” I ask. “Sometimes, you have to look beyond the obvious,” she replies.

Starting her creative work in Spain, she was discovered by the art director of the national Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Rodrigo Sánchez, who gave Dávez her first break. She has since amassed 140,000 followers on Instagram and worked with the likes of Prada, Chanel and Puma. For Chanel, she created chic animations to mark the 2017 launch of its Gabrielle fragrance, which was then published in Vogue Spain.

We talk about the vivid use of colour in her works. “Faceless brings together the joy of colours and my comic side; it’s my creative engine,” she says. “Some people have an aura around them, a specific colour that expresses who they are. When I painted my sister, she was horrified that I painted her in neutral beige tones. ‘Am I that boring?’ was her reaction.”

Given her recent partnerships, the topic of fashion naturally comes up. “I would love to start my own label one day. As an artist, I am always looking to channel my creative energy in various ways. I hated to be told what to do when I was at art school, and there was a period when I couldn’t find any authentic inspiration.

“I like to experiment with clothes. I once got a haircut wanting to look like a Japanese girl. I ended up looking like the French character Amélie instead.”

I ask why she doesn’t create faceless works of divisive political figures – after all, Kim Jong Un’s hairstyle would lend itself marvellously to a canvas, or, even better, Trump’s. “I feel that by doing that, I would be creating art for the sake of making a statement, for the sake of being controversial,” she explains.

The purpose of the series, she adds, was a joyous one, not a political one: “These are figures who I admire, and whom I pay tribute to. I always do things out of authenticity.”