valencia-born artists pichi and avo, otherwise known as pichiavo, installed an 85-foot-tall neoclassical sculpture only to have it set ablaze. the neoclassical sculpture was made to commemorate the start of spring on the annual las fallas festival in valencia where it was burn during the peak of the event along with 700 others throughout the city.

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti las fallas

images courtesy of the artists

 

 

it took 12 months for pichiavo to finish the incredibly large-scale piece, partnering with local fallas artisan firm latorre y sanz to execute the final sculpture. fallas, which means torch in valencian is the term given to the giant figurines that take over the city during the course of the festival.

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

 

 

dating back thousands of year, the ceremony marks the start of spring and signifies new beginnings. what started out as a merely carpenters burning old materials has turned into a flaming five-day street party, with artists now offering work for eventual incineration as part of its tradition.

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

 

 

evreka is on view at the centro del carmen in valencia until may 5, 2019. in addition, a show dedicated to pichiavo’s limited editions will be on view at plastic murs gallery between march 7 and april 19, 2019. you can see more of the artists’ previous works on their website and instagram.

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

pichiavo sets alight 85-foot sculpture covered in artist duo's signature graffiti

 

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project info

 

artists: pichi and avo, aka pichiavo
project: “evreka” exhibition
location: valencia, spain
event: las fallas festival
dates: march 16th 2019 – march 19th 2019
exhibition location: centro del carmen / plastic murs gallery
exhibition dates: until may 5th 2019 / march 7th and april 19th