Otherworldly and alienesque, ST is a striking encapsulation of Rafa Macarron’s painterly universe. As Macarron’s fantastical creatures roam the dream-like landscape, the viewers are invited to enter the imaginary world. The characters of ST carry out ordinary tasks with extraordinary inventiveness, their elastic limbs and toe-hands sporadically spread outwards into outer space. As Macarron said in an interview: “I invite the viewer to look at things differently… I’d like the viewer to relate to my interpretation of reality and what surrounds us. I hope they experience my painting and its characters the same way I do, asking themselves: who are they? What is their life like? Where do they come from and where do they go?” (Rafa Macarron cited in: Rom Levy, ‘Rafa Macarron’, Street Art News, October 2021, online) Each with their own personality and soul, they invite the viewer on an adventure through the surreal landscape of Macarron’s creation.

A three-headed smoker of multiple limbs walks through the cosmic world of ST, drifting across the flat horizon. Spread across the heads in all directions are zip-like mouths of crescent or linear shapes, biting onto a cigarette or seemingly engaged in some space-speech. Bug-like or bulb-like, the eyes dart across in all directions as their hand-like feet and feet-like hands curiously gesture away into an unknown listener. The body is an amalgamation of multiple pieces, patched and laced together amidst the flailing, entangled limbs which seem to sport out from mysterious places. One red-nailed hand holds onto a loose leash, at the end of which are two bacteria-like creatures floating in the black, star speckled sky. Despite the puzzling anatomy, the creature is dressed to impress; adorned with colourful nails, oversized glasses and polka-dot sleeves, the alien creature flaunts the latest space trends as it walks its equally alien pets. Despite the drama of the deformity, the character is endearingly bizarre and oddly lovable.

When asked what inspires his paintings, the artist responded: “A small sunrise, the time I spend with my children, a walk with the dogs… To look at the small, ordinary, and daily details. It is very important to me and for my practice, to feel, perceive and keep painting to learn how to create new work. Those are the little things that inspire me” (Rafa Macarron cited in: Rom Levy, ‘Rafa Macarron’, Street Art News, October 2021, online). A snippet of life in the imaginary reality of cosmic space, Macarron re-examines the mundane tasks of our everyday life with new excitement and charm. Combining the dream-scapes of the Surrealists with the playfulness of childrens’ doodles, Macarron’s ST creates a uniquely intuitive and dynamic image, inviting the viewer into the strange and sweet world of his imagination.