After spending several years painting musical artists with watercolors, DAN23 opened in 2006 his own gallery in Strasbourg. His first steps as a solo performer making live-paintings then appeared to be more on concerts and music festival stages throughout the world than in his own gallery. In 2013, he decides to quit the stages in order to get more involved into the streets and the urban environment, painting bright portraits, each of them dedicated to a particular song and representing all the significant encounters he made in his life. The « Tour Paris 13 » project in which he got involved, eventually gave him the recognition. Finally, the street-art gallery Mathgoth in Paris offers him the opportunity to make a solo-performance in 2014.

Hi DAN23, today MoW selected 7 of your artworks inspired by music. Can you tell MoW why you chose those? What was the music behind them ? What inspired you to create those ?

These portraits represent musical events that I realized in my life, occurring mainly soul, funk, hip hop and jazz.

Why is music important to you and your art?

This is sort of my drug, it allows me to ease my mind, to see the world with more perspective.

If you had to choose between the artworks presented today, which of your artwork would be your favorite ?

This would be the portrait of Gil Scott-Heron, it is both sweet and mystical and represents well the power of music.

Can you tell MoW more about the techniques you used. How old is your technique? How did it start? How long does it take you to make an artwork ?

I use acrylic, spray and ink, it is a technique that I use since 1997 because I like the spontaneity of the ink combined with other mediums. It takes me about five hours to make a portrait.

Do you have plans on creating new artworks insipired by music ?

Not really, but who knows...

Do you listen to music when you're working? If so, what kind?

All the time, at work, at home, in the street. Most of the time Soul Music.

What is the song you liked the most lately? And album ? What was the last gig you went to ?

Currently it is the song "Neither One Of Us" by Gladys Knight.