Javier Abarca (Madrid 1973) is researcher, teacher and critic in the fields of graffiti and street art. He started his career as a leading artist from the first generation of Spanish graffiti. Between 2006 and 2015 he taught the first-ever bachelor class on graffiti and street art, at the Fine Arts School of the Complutense University of Madrid.
Abarca is founder and director of the two leading events in graffiti research, the Unlock Book Fair and the Tag Conference. He founded the influential website Urbanario in 2008. Since 2020 he runs the Escuela Urbanario, the first online resource for specialised education in the field.
Javier Abarca is a respected specialist in the international scene. His texts are widely cited in specialised literature, while his PhD (2010) has been downloaded over 25,000 times. He teaches, writes and directs events internationally.
For Abarca’s personal artist portfolio see here.
Contact: javier[a]urbanario.es
CV
Lectures
2023: What brought us here. Tag Conference, Hamburg University.
2023: Monikers in history and today. Tag Conference, New York City.
2022: Graffiti goes ugly, and artsy: the rise of anti-style. From Vandal to Art workshop. Sofia.
2022: From street art to exhibitions and murals. From Vandal to Art workshop. Sofia.
2022: Graffiti is folk art. Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. Universidade de Lisboa.
2021: From street art to murals, what have we lost? National Urban Art Network Conference, Göteborgs Konsthall, Sweden.
2021: History of Artivism. Course on ‘Artivism’, Youth Peace Ambassadors Network, Madrid.
2021: Graffiti is not ‘Art’. Bien Urbain Festival, Besançon, France.
2021: Research, then Act: Graffiti as Reading of the City. Artistic Research Day, Fontys University, Tilburg, Netherlands.
2020: Graffiti is not ‘Art’. Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. Universidade de Lisboa.
2019: Graffiti, street art and murals, what they are and how they work. Fisart Festival, Timișoara, Romania.
2019: Graffiti and psychogeography, the city as a playground. Street Art Communication, Košice, Slovakia.
2019: Graffiti is not ‘Art’. Social Surfaces symposium, Manchester.
2019: Graffiti and psychogeography, the city as a playground. Kulturzentrum Schlachthof, Kassel, Germany.
2019: Moniker writing in Europe. Tag Conference, Cologne.
2019: ¿Conservar el arte urbano? National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography, México City.
2019: El papel de las publicaciones en el arte urbano. Callegenera festival, Monterrey, México.
2019: Curating street art. Bien Urbain festival, Besançon, France.
2019: Graffiti, from experience to spectacle. Urban Creativity Conference, Lund University, Sweden.
2019: Curating street art. Creative Europe Road Map meeting, Cologne, Germany.
2019: Evolución del arte urbano en Madrid. Arte en la Calle exhibition, Centro Conde Duque, Madrid.
2019: Graffiti and psychogeography, the city as a playground. Nuart Aberdeen festival, Scotland.
2018: The ‘flechero’ indigenous tagging culture of Madrid. Tag Conference, Amsterdam.
2018: Curating street art. Unlock: Visual Dissidence, Herne, Germany.
2018: Graffiti and psychogeography, the city as a playground. Calle Libre festival, Vienna.
2018: Punk graffiti. Tercera jornada Indague, Madrid.
2018 Graffiti and psychogeography, the city as a playground. Stencibility festival, Tartu, Estonia.
2018: Dilemas en la conservación del arte urbano. Avant Garde festival, Tudela, Spain.
2018: Comisariar arte urbano. Segunda jornada Indague, Palma, Spain.
2018: From intervention to exploration: twelve years of teaching. Art On The Streets symposium, ICA, London.
2017: The Unlock project. Буквоблудие, Moscow.
2017: Unlock y el papel de la edición. Primera jornada Indague, Madrid.
2017: From street art to murals, what have we lost? Wall and Space conference, Halle, Germany.
2017: Graffiti and psychogeography. CityLeaks festival, Cologne, Germany.
2017: Street art, murals, and power in public space. Nuart festival, Stavanger, Norway.
2017: Curating street art. Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. Universidade de Lisboa.
2017: Del arte urbano a los murales. I Jornada de Arte Urbano, Vigo.
2017: Graffiti y psicogeografía. Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castelló.
2017: Comisariar arte urbano. Analogías Urbanas, Fine Arts Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid.
2016: Muelle, entre el graffiti y el arte urbano. Escuela Superior de Conservación y Restauración de Bienes Culturales, Madrid.
2016: From street art to murals, what have we lost? Keynote lecture at the Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. University of Lisbon, Portugal.
2016: Urbanario. Congreso de Periodismo Cultural, Santander.
2016: Graffiti y psicogeografía. Poliniza festival, Polytechnic University of Valencia.
2016: El graffiti como caligrafía. Fine Arts Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid.
2015: From graffiti, to street art, to murals. The Bridges of Graffiti lecture series, Venice Biennial, Italy.
2015: Street art, murals and gentrification. Street Art: Contours et Détours international conference. Nice Sophia Antipolis University, Nice, France.
2015: Ten years of teaching street art at the university. Bien Urbain festival, Besançon, France.
2015: Graffiti as psychogeography. Backjumps festival, Berlin, Germany.
2015: El graffiti como diseño gráfico. Instituto Europeo di Design, Madrid.
2014: Arte urbano, murales y gentrificación. Medialab Prado, Madrid.
2014: Arte urbano, murales y barrios. CC Villaverde, Madrid City Council.
2014: Arte urbano, murales y barrios. CC Usera, Madrid City Council.
2014: The mural festival, from dissent to speculation. Open Walls Conference, CCCB, Barcelona.
2014: The mural festival wave, from dissenting art to real state speculation. Aesthetic Energy of the City international conference. University of Łódź, Poland.
2014: The mural festival wave, from dissenting art to real state speculation. Mural Meeting international conference, Dresden, Germany.
2014: Revs, the unknown pioneer. Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. University of Lisbon, Portugal.
2014: Egs and the history of graffiti in Finland. ARCO art fair, Madrid.
2013: Muelle y el legado del Madrid de los 80. Centro de Arte Caja de Burgos, Burgos.
2013: Graffiti, street art and gentrification. GraffiCity international conference, University of Cologne, Germany.
2013: El arte y la lucha por el espacio público. Interactúa lecture series, Toledo.
2013: El graffiti en la historia. Studio Banana, Madrid.
2012: The mural in motion. Riesa Efau, Dresden, Germany.
2012: Brief overview of the Spanish graffiti and street art histories and scenes. Stuck on the City festival, Municipal Library and Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic.
2012: Graffiti y psicogeografía. Jornadas de arte y psicología. Faculty of Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid.
2012: Graffiti and psychogeography. Bien Urbain festival, Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts de Besançon, France.
2012: Teaching urban intervention. A Di Città festival, Rosarno, Italy.
2012: Graffiti as psychogeographical map. Het Vogelnest, Ghent, Belgium.
2012: Graffiti, arte urbano, arte público. University of Granada.
2012: No compres. Seminario Escritura e Imagen, Faculty of Philosophy, Complutense University of Madrid.
2011: Muros grises, el espacio despolitizado. Open Walls Conference, CCCB, Barcelona.
2011: Graffiti e historia: la despolitización del espacio. MAPA conference, Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid, Aranjuez.
2011: El graffiti como mapa psicogeográfico. Homonymous international conference, Menéndez Pelayo International University, Santander.
2011: Law can’t police taste. Graffiti Dialogues international conference, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Bristol Museum, Bristol, UK.
2011: Teaching urban intervention. Idealab international conference, Tallin, Estonia.
2010: Pintar graffiti, borrar graffiti: ¿qué es y para qué sirve? Madrid Urban Arts festival.
2010: Intervención urbana. Akme lecture series, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao.
2010: Del graffiti al arte urbano. Jornadas Culturales de Arte en la Calle, Autonomous University of Madrid.
2010: La intervención específica. MUAU festival, A Coruña.
2010: Qué es el arte urbano. Instituto Europeo de Design, Madrid.
2010: Cuarenta años de graffiti. Patio Herreriano Museum, Valladolid.
2009: Arte autónomo en la calle: una panorámica. BLV Art festival, Bilbao.
2009: La intervención específica. BLV Art festival, Bilbao.
2009: Del graffiti a la intervención específica: una evolución del artista hacia la sociedad. Poliniza festival, Polytechnic University of Valencia.
2009: El poster art, contexto artístico y social. Madposter festival, Madrid.
2008: El arte urbano como agente en los procesos de gentrificación. Arte en el Espacio Público: Barrios Artísticos y Revitalización Urbana international conference, Zaragoza. University of Zaragoza.
2007: Del graffiti al arte urbano. Asalto festival, Zaragoza.
Courses and workshops
2024: The calligraphy of tagging. Taller. Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, Hamburg University.
2023: Parallel Munich. Exploration workshop. Munich Graffiti Library.
2021: Street art in the Nineties. Guest masterclass at the Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. Universidade de Lisboa.
2020: Entender el arte urbano. Four-hour theory course. Callegenera Festival, Monterrey, México.
2020: Ahondando en el graffiti. Nine-hour theory course. Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid.
2020: Creative censoring. Anti-advertising workshop. Master Performing Public Space, Fontys University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
2019: Parallel Košice. Exploration workshop. Street Art Communication, Košice, Slovakia.
2019: Parallel Kassel. Exploration workshop. Kulturzentrum Schlachthof, Kassel, Germany.
2019: Arte urbano, política y sociedad. Nine-hour theory course. Callegenera festival, Monterrey, México.
2019: El tagging como caligrafía. Theory and practice workshop. Lab4, México City.
2019: Parallel city tour: Aberdeen. Exploration workshop. Nuart Aberdeen festival, Scotland.
2019: Arte urbano, política y sociedad. Nine-hour theory course. Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid.
2018: El tagging como caligrafía. Theory and practice workshop. Moments Festival, Escuela de arte San Telmo, Málaga.
2018: Entender el arte urbano. Nine-hour theory course. Unmuted! Festival, Cáceres.
2018: Contemplative guide to Vienna. Exploration workshop. Calle Libre festival, Vienna.
2018: Contemplative guide to Tartu. Exploration workshop. Stencibility festival, Tartu, Estonia.
2016: Entender el arte urbano. Seven-hour theory course. Rexenera Festival, Carballo, Spain.
2018: Entender el arte urbano. Twelve-hour theory course. Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid.
2017: Contemplative guide to Cologne. Exploration workshop. CityLeaks festival, Cologne, Germany.
2017: Una introducción al graffiti. Four-hour theory course. Desordes Creativas festival, Ordes, Spain.
2017: Guía contemplativa de Castellón. Exploration workshop. Espai d’Art Contemporani de Castelló.
2016: Guía contemplativa de Valencia. Exploration workshop. Poliniza festival, Polytechnic University of Valencia.
2016: Culturas del graffiti. Ten-hour theory course. Puerto del Rosario City Council, Fuerteventura.
2016: El graffiti como caligrafía. Theory and practice workshop. Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid.
2016: Entender el graffiti. Nine-hour theory course. Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid.
2015: Guía contemplativa de Barcelona. Exploration workshop. Open Walls Conference, Barcelona.
2015: Contemplative guide to Berlin. Exploration workshop. Backjumps festival, Berlin, Germany.
2014: Entender el graffiti. Ten-hour theory course. Valdeparaíso Palace, Almagro, Ciudad Real.
2013-2014: Sesiones teóricas Urbanario. Series of 20 lectures. Tabacalera and CNT, Madrid.
2012: Transversal guide to Besançon. Exploration workshop. Institut Supérieur des Beaux Arts de Besançon and Bien Urbain festival, Besançon, France.
2012: AAA Cercasi. Art in context workshop. Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria, Rosarno, Italy.
2012: Guía transversal de Granada. Exploration workshop. University of Granada.
2011: Guía transversal de Santander. Exploration workshop. Menéndez Pelayo International University.
2010: Diálogo con A Coruña. Art and context workshop. MUAU festival.
2009: Diálogo con Bilbao. Art and context workshop. BLV Art festival.
Published texts
2021: «Graffiti is ‘folk art’». Catalogue for Graphomanies, écritures urbaines obsessionnelles, Lille, France.
2020: Interview with Cornbread. Tramontana magazine issue 4. Barcelona.
2019: Prologue to the book Glub. Self-published by the Spanish graffiti pioneer.
2018: “Graffiti on trains, photography and Subterráneos”. In Street Art & Urban Creativity Scientific Journal Vol 4, Nº1. Lisboa.
2018: “Graffiti on trains after New York.” In Subterráneos. Cuadernos de La Kursala / Velvet Liga.
2018: “Graffiti sobre trenes, fotografía y ‘Subterráneos’.” In Ensayos Urbanos. Spain.
2018: “Inmediato pero no simple: Brad Downey.” In Campus Espontani. Polytechnic University of Valencia.
2018: “El graffiti no es ‘Arte’”. In Ensayos Urbanos. Spain.
2017: “Curating street art”. In Street Art & Urban Creativity Scientific Journal Vol 3, Nº2. Lisbon.
2017: Introduction to the book Tramp directories, noms-de-road and unwritten codes. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2017: “Scratching memories of graffiti”. In Trains, travels and murals. International Neighborhood Verlag, Leipzig.
2016: “From street art to murals, what have we lost?”. In Street Art & Urban Creativity Scientific Journal Vol 2, Nº2. Lisbon.
2016: “Tabacalera y la gentrificación de Lavapiés”. In Barrios Artísticos
y Distritos Culturales. Miguel Ángel Chaves Martín and Jesús-Pedro Lorente (eds.) Icono14, Madrid.
2015: “Conservar o no conservar el arte urbano”. In Mural issue 2, journal of the Observatorio de Arte Urbano. Madrid.
2015: “The mural festival, from dissent to speculation”. In Time for Murals. Riesa Eifau and Urban Script Continues, Dresden, Germany.
2015: “Graffiti, street art and gentrification”. In GraffitiCity: Visual Practices and Contestations in Urban Space. Eva Youkhana and Larissa Förster (eds.). Wilhelm Fink, Paderborn.
2014: “Revs, the unknown pioneer”. In the proceedings of the Lisbon Street Art & Urban Creativity 2014 International Conference.
2013: “Muelle, patrimonio cultural”, with Elena Gayo. In Arte y Ciudades, las Ciudades en el Arte. Lourdes de Diego and Jesús Pedro Lorente (eds.). Universidad San Jorge.
2012: “Deambular”. Only chapter of the book Eltono: Deambular. Urbanario Libros, Madrid. Editions in Spanish and English.
2012: “Pinto gratis”. in Eltono Line and surface. Stickit, Utretch.
2011: “Lo público y el arte”. Tribuna Complutense magazine. Complutense University, Madrid.
2010: “El papel de los medios en el desarrollo del arte urbano.” Journal of the Aragonese Association of Art Critics, Zaragoza.
2010: Prologue for the book Madrid revolution. Spray Planet, Barcelona.
2010: El postgraffiti, su escenario y sus raíces (PhD). Faculty of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid.
2010: “Matthias Wermke, arte desde el graffiti”. Mombaça magazine, Salamanca.
2009: “Qué es en realidad el arte urbano”. Tribuna Complutense magazine. Complutense University, Madrid.
2009: Chapters on SpY and Trabajos en la Calle in the catalogue for the exhibition Hipótesis Urbana, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid.
2009: “El arte urbano como agente en los procesos de gentrificación”. In Arte en el Espacio Público: Barrios Artísticos y Revitalización Urbana. Blanca Fernández and Jesús Pedro Lorente (eds.). Prensas Universitarias de Zaragoza.
2008: “Madrid eighties writing scene, Scandinavia and Garrulo”. Gasmask magazine, Helsinki.
2009: “Los adhesivos en el arte público autónomo”. Prologue for Signos Sobre Signos. Espacio Ciudad, Vitoria City Council.
2007: “SpY no es un artista urbano”. Serie B magazine, Madrid.
2005: Introduction for the catalogue of the exhibition Suso33: no volveré a pintar paredes. Biondetta gallery, Madrid.
Publishing
2008–ongoing: Urbanario Articles. Online collection of texts. ISSN 2255-1239.
2023: Tag Spotlight #4: Werkauszug. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2023: Tag Spotlight #3: Benching Delta. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2023: Tag Spotlight #2: Philadelphia Dark Pages. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2023: Tag Spotlight #1: HAER Survey of the 3rd Avenue EL Line, 1974. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2018: Punk graffiti archives: Madrid. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2018: Punk graffiti archives: The Netherlands. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2017: Tramp Directories, Noms-de-Road and Unwritten Codes. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
2012: Eltono: Deambular. Urbanario Libros, Madrid.
Directing
Ongoing since 2020: Urbanario School. Online teaching platform.
2024: Unlock Book Fair. Abguss-Museum Munich.
2024: Tag Conference. Catholic University of Linz.
2024: Unlock Zine Bench. Complutense University of Madrid.
2023: Unlock Book Fair. Museum for Hamburg History.
2023: Tag Conference. Hamburg University and Museum for Hamburg History.
2023: Tag Conference. New York City.
2022: Unlock Book Fair. Groningen, The Netherlands.
2020: Unlock Book Fair. Modena.
2019: Tag Conference. Cologne.
2019: Unlock Book Fair. Cologne.
2018: Tag Conference. Amsterdam.
2018: Unlock Book Fair. Amsterdam.
2018: Unlock: Visual dissidence. Book fair. Herne, Germany. Co-directed with Robert Kaltenhäuser.
2018: Unlock at Bien Urbain. Book fair. Besançon, France.
2017: Tag Conference. Freie Universität, Berlin.
2017: Unlock Book Fair. Berlin.
2017: Unlock Talks Lisbon. Urban Creativity Conference, Lisbon University.
2017: Murales y barrios, rehabilitación o especulación. Documentary screening series. Urban District Art Festival, Barcelona.
Ongoing since 2017: Unlock Showcase. Travelling bookstore. Lisbon, Moscow, London, Tartu, Besançon, Wien, Cáceres, Málaga, Madrid, Aberdeen, Lund, Kassel, Manchester, Monterrey, Mexico City.
2016: Caligrafía salvaje. Documentary screening series. Open Walls Festival, Barcelona.
2016: ¿Conservar el arte urbano? International roundtable. CCCB, Open Walls Festival, Barcelona.
2016: Unlock Book Fair. Barcelona.
2011: Graffiti as psychogeographical map. International seminar with Adam, Akay, Wermke-Leinkauf and Mathieu Tremblin. Menéndez Pelayo International University, Santander.
2010: Documentary screening series at MUAU festival.
Curating
2018: Unlock: Visual dissidence. Exhibition. Alter Wartesaal, Herne, Germany. Co-curated with the Museum für Visuelle Dissidenz.
2012: Deambular. Residency and solo exhibition by Eltono. Artium Museum, Vitoria.
2010: Postgraffiti, geometría y abstracción. Exhibition by MOMO, Eltono, Marlon de Azambuja and Sam Bassett. Fundación Caixa Galicia, A Coruña.
Committees
2017-24: Executive committee of Tag: Name Writing in Public Space. Academic conference.
2014-24: Scientific committee of the Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity International Conference. University of Lisbon.
2015-24: Scientific committee of the Lisbon Street Art and Urban Creativity Scientific Journal. University of Lisbon.
2018-19: Scientific committee of the Nuart Journal. Stavanger, Norway.