Art is Trash – El Arte es Basura in Spanish – is the street name of Francisco de Pájaro, a Spanish artist born in 1970 in Zafra (Extremadura) who has lived in Barcelona since the end of 2003. Since 2009 he has painted on what people throw out: mattresses, boxes, bin bags and broken furniture become wide-eyed monsters, riders and warriors that are usually gone by the next morning. His London pieces of 2013 made him known worldwide, and he has since worked on the streets of New York, Galway, Pittsburgh, Rijeka and Menorca.
This page collects his official website and channels, places where his street pieces and walls have been recorded, his exhibitions and festival appearances, the Barcelona gallery that shows his paintings and sculptures, interviews and press, his book, videos and auction searches.
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Art is Trash at a glance
- Born
- 1970, Zafra (Badajoz, Extremadura), Spain
- Based
- Barcelona since the end of 2003; London in 2002 and again in 2013
- Active
- Painting since 1990; Art is Trash on the street since 2009
- Also known as
- El Arte es Basura, Art is Tra$h
- Training
- School of Applied Arts, Mérida (from 1993, left after about 18 months); co-founder of the sign-painting firm Rotuletto
- Known for
- Short-lived figures painted on street rubbish – mattresses, boxes, bin bags and furniture
- Signature motifs
- Wide-eyed monsters, Native American riders and horses, cowboys and police standing for politicians and bankers
- Gallery
- Artevistas Gallery, Barcelona (El Born and Gothic Quarter)
- Book
- Art is Trash (Promopress, 2015)
- Market
- Street pieces cannot be collected; Artevistas lists canvases from €750 (25 x 25 cm, 2023) to several thousand euros and his signed book at €120 (October 2026)
Life of Art is Trash
- 1970Born in Zafra in Extremadura. From 1990 he draws and paints seriously while working all kinds of jobs.
- 1993Enters the School of Applied Arts in Mérida and leaves after about a year and a half; back home he co-founds Rotuletto, a firm for signs, posters and decorative painting.
- 2002Leaves everything to live from art in London, but cannot settle there.
- 2003Visits Barcelona at the end of the year and stays, surviving on short-term jobs, later as a waiter in El Raval.
- 2009After a gallery show in which nothing sells, he starts painting on rubbish in the streets of Barcelona and calls it El Arte es Basura – Art is Trash (#works).
- 2013Shows at Base Elements in Barcelona, then spends months in London, where his trash monsters reach the Guardian and Bloomberg (#blogs).
- 2014Three-month residency in New York, with pieces from Canal Street and Williamsburg to 5 Pointz (#murals).
- 2015–2016His book Art is Trash appears (Promopress); he paints a mural for the LISA Project in New York, works the streets at the Galway International Arts Festival and shows MATURA at Castle Fitzjohns Gallery (#exhibitions).
- 2017–2024Installations in Pittsburgh (2017) and Rijeka (2019), a disputed mural in Es Castell, Menorca (2021), and a permanent place at Artevistas Gallery in Barcelona (2024) (#galleries).
Key works by Art is Trash
From his first rubbish pieces in Barcelona in 2009 to the London monsters of 2013 and a disputed mural in Menorca: these works show how his short-lived street art travelled from city to city.
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El Arte es Basura – first street pieces
Key workbarcelonastreetart.com · Barcelona, 2009His own video of the first pieces painted on rubbish in Barcelona, the start of the Art is Trash name.
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Assange and Snowden
Key worktheguardian.com · London, 2013A rubbish sculpture of a frightened Julian Assange holding an equally scared Edward Snowden, singled out by the Guardian.
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Shark dumpster and cardboard centipede
Key workbloomberg.com · London, 2013A construction skip turned into a toothy shark and a stack of boxes into a centipede – two of the London monsters that spread online.
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Green Lanes piece
Key workharringayonline.com · London, 2013A piece at Green Lanes and Warham Road in Harringay, noticed by neighbours in June 2013.
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Mattress at 5 Pointz
Key worknewyorkcityinthewitofaneye.com · New York, 2014A painted mattress left at night at the whitewashed 5 Pointz graffiti site in Long Island City.
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Pink mural for the LISA Project
Key workviewing.nyc · New York, 2015A large pink mural with found objects built in, painted directly under Ron English's Temper Tot murals.
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Galway street installations
Key workirishtimes.com · Galway, 2016Daily pieces made from the city's rubbish for the Galway International Arts Festival, filmed by the Irish Times.
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Rocamar mural
Key workmenorca.info · Es Castell, Menorca, 2021A horse mural honouring Menorca's festivals with his «Art is trash» slogan; the town hall did not authorise it.
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Art is Trash websites
Start with his own website, where he tells his story, lists his shows and sells canvases, prints, sculptures and his book directly.
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Art Is Trash – Francisco de Pájaro
Artistartistrash.es · BarcelonaBarcelona street artist who turns rubbish on the street into art.
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Art is Trash – About (official biography)
Artistartistrash.es · BarcelonaHis own short biography in Spanish and English: Zafra, art school in Mérida, London, Barcelona and the start of Art is Trash in 2009.
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Art is Trash – Press (official)
Artistartistrash.esHis own press page with quotes and links to the Guardian, HuffPost, Business Insider, Vice, the Irish Times and others.
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Art is Trash – Videos (official)
Artistartistrash.es · BarcelonaVideo page of his website, with clips for Converse, Zoomin, Street Art Mecca and one filmed in El Raval.
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Art is Trash – the book (official shop)
Shopartistrash.es · BarcelonaOrder his book from his own site; the page sums up his story from a working-class family in Zafra to Poblenou.
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Art is Trash – sculptures (official shop)
Shopartistrash.esStudio sculptures for sale on his website – the collectable side of his street work.
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Francisco de Pájaro – Meer
Infomeer.com · LondonProfile on the art magazine Meer: how he works in the evening after shops put out their rubbish, and why photos keep his pieces alive.
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Art is Trash in public space – murals & sculptures
Most of his work lasts only hours, so photos and maps are the best way to see it. Pieces have been recorded in Ciutat Vella, London, Brooklyn, Queens and Little Italy; his larger walls include the LISA Project mural in New York and the Rocamar mural in Menorca.
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Art is Trash – Street Art Cities
Mapstreetartcities.comCommunity map with pieces credited to Art is Trash in Barcelona and New York.
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Art is Trash – Carrer del Palau 1, Barcelona
Mapstreetartcities.com · BarcelonaA piece recorded in May 2024 at Carrer del Palau 1 in Ciutat Vella, near the Gothic Quarter.
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Art is Trash – Carrer del Palau 5, Barcelona
Mapstreetartcities.com · BarcelonaA second piece recorded the same day a few doors along, at Carrer del Palau 5.
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Art is Trash – large wall at Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn
Mapstreetartcities.com · New YorkA big wall with Native American figures, visible from the Marcy Avenue J/M/Z platform looking towards Manhattan.
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Art is Trash – street art by city (official)
Mapartistrash.esHis own photo archive of street pieces, sorted by place: Spain, New York, California, Florida, Chicago, UK, France, Germany, Colombia, Dubai and China.
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Art is Trash – street art in Spain (official)
Mapartistrash.es · BarcelonaPhoto gallery of his street pieces in Spain, the core of his work since 2009.
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Art is Trash – street art in the UK (official)
Mapartistrash.es · LondonPhoto gallery of his London pieces, many from the summer of 2013 that made him known.
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NYC's Expressive Doors – with Art is Trash
Mapstreetartnyc.org · New YorkStreet Art NYC photo series on painted New York doors, including his figures next to work by Elbow Toe and Kenny Scharf (2016).
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Art is Trash exhibitions
He shows paintings and installations in galleries as well as on the street – from Base Elements in Barcelona (2013) to MATURA in New York (2016) and O.D. Gallery in Amsterdam (2017). His own list covers shows up to 2024.
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Art is Trash – exhibition list (official)
Exhibitionartistrash.esHis own list of shows from Zafra (1999) to Düsseldorf, Cruïlla and Artevistas (2024), with solo shows in Amsterdam, Shanghai and Seoul.
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MATURA at Castle Fitzjohns Gallery, New York
Exhibitionstreetartnyc.org · New YorkStreet Art NYC on his solo show MATURA at 95 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side, plus new street pieces around town (November 2016).
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O.D. Gallery, Amsterdam – Vice (Dutch)
Exhibitionvice.com · AmsterdamA Vice reporter walks the canals with him during his O.D. Gallery show of paintings and three installations made from Amsterdam rubbish (December 2017).
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Usar, tirar y vender – Vice (Spanish)
Exhibitionvice.com · BarcelonaVice visits him in the basement of Base Elements Urban Art Gallery before his 2013 show and asks about fines, El Raval and leaving his bar job.
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Base Elements gallery, Barcelona – Inspiring City
Exhibitioninspiringcity.com · BarcelonaA London blog visits Base Elements in the Gothic Quarter, where his works hang among the gallery's artists, and meets him there (2017).
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London show and street pieces – Grist
Exhibitiongrist.org · LondonWritten in 2013 while he was showing in a London gallery and on the streets; explains how Barcelona's 2006 ban on street painting pushed him to rubbish.
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Art Is Trash at Artevistas Gallery
Exhibitionbarcelonastreetart.com · BarcelonaShort post with a video of his work at Artevistas in Barcelona and a summary of his path from Zafra to the street.
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Art is Trash in museums
We found no museum collection holding his work. His public projects come through festivals and city programmes: Galway (2016), Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Arts Festival (2017), Rijeka (2019) and the LISA Project in New York.
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Art Street: 13 Windows 1 Wall – NYU Kimmel Windows
Museumstreetartnyc.org · New YorkGroup show in the street-facing windows of NYU's Kimmel Center with Art is Trash, Ron English, Lady Pink, Cope2, Richard Hambleton and others (2016).
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Galway International Arts Festival – Art is Trash
Museumgiaf.ie · GalwayFestival page for his pieces around Galway in July 2016, left up each day until 4 pm, with venues such as the Claddagh basin and the train station.
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Rijeka residency – Time Out Croatia
Museumtimeout.com · RijekaPreview of his two-week street residency in Rijeka in 2019, the year before the city became European Capital of Culture.
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Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh
Museumspainculture.us · PittsburghSpain's cultural office in the US on his nine installations around downtown Pittsburgh alongside a Drap-Art exhibition (June 2017).
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Oxímoron temporary art centre, Maó
Museummenorca.info · MenorcaHis installations from Menorcan rubbish – TVs, phones, tyres – on the ground floor of a temporary art centre in Maó (Catalan, July 2021).
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The Mine, Dubai – Wikipedia
Museumen.wikipedia.org · DubaiThe Dubai gallery built partly from industrial waste lists Francisco De Pajaro among its featured artists; he took part in a group show there in 2014.
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Rijeka street art 2019 – Time Out Croatia
Museumtimeout.com · RijekaReport with photos and the spots where his Rijeka pieces stood, from the Trsat stairs to Tito Square.
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Where to buy Art is Trash – galleries
Artevistas Gallery in Barcelona shows and sells his canvases, objects and book; he also sells directly through his website. Ask for size, year and signature, and keep the invoice as proof of origin.
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Art is Trash – signed book at Artevistas
Galleryartevistas.eu · BarcelonaHis book, signed and with an original drawing on the first page, for €120 at Artevistas Born and Gòtic.
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Art is Trash (autorretrato) – Artevistas
Galleryartevistas.eu · BarcelonaA 100 x 90 cm mixed-media self-portrait on canvas, listed at €3,872.
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Caballo 1 – Artevistas
Galleryartevistas.eu · BarcelonaA small 25 x 25 cm horse on canvas from 2023, listed at €750 – an entry point to his studio work.
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Botijo 1 – Artevistas
Galleryartevistas.eu · BarcelonaAcrylic on a traditional earthenware drinking jar (sold) – shows his object pieces beyond canvas.
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Artevistas – gallery addresses
Galleryartevistas.eu · BarcelonaAddresses and opening details of Artevistas in El Born and the Gothic Quarter, where his work is on permanent show.
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Art is Trash – canvases (official shop)
Galleryartistrash.esCanvases sold directly by the artist, with prices shown on the page.
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Art is Trash – works on paper (official shop)
Galleryartistrash.esDrawings and works on paper from his own website.
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Art is Trash blogs & articles
The 2013 London coverage in the Guardian, Bloomberg and BuzzFeed made him known; the New York interviews of 2014 explain his politics and method in his own words.
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London trash monsters – Business Insider
Newsbusinessinsider.com · LondonPhoto story from August 2013 on the following he built in London with his trash monsters.
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Turning London's rubbish into art – BuzzFeed
Newsbuzzfeed.com · LondonBuzzFeed gallery from 2013 of his work around Brick Lane, with his quote on Barcelona's ban on painting in the street.
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Street trash into quirky monsters – HuffPost
Newshuffpost.comHuffPost (2014): he says his aim is to make people smile, and he never stays to watch their reaction.
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Interview with Art is Trash – The Dusty Rebel
Blogthedustyrebel.com · New YorkLong 2014 interview during his three-month New York residency: politics, police, Native Americans and why he never stays.
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Another Man's Treasure – Brooklyn Street Art
Blogbrooklynstreetart.com · New YorkBrooklyn Street Art on his New York pieces in 2014, including 'forced collaborations' with work by other street artists.
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Interview with Art is Tra$h – GraffitiStreet
Bloggraffitistreet.com2015 interview: sign-writing beginnings, rejection by galleries, the Base Elements show and his influences from Picasso to spaghetti westerns.
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Instagram of the Week – Remezcla
Blogremezcla.com · New YorkRemezcla (2014) on his New York residency, with pieces along Canal Street and in Williamsburg.
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Il donne vie à des monstres – Rue89 (French)
Newsnouvelobs.comFrench report from 2013 in which he explains how a failed 2009 gallery show and a piece of old furniture started it all.
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Street Trash – greenMe (Italian)
Bloggreenme.itItalian article from 2013 on his creatures made from abandoned rubbish.
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The Art of the New Wilderness – The Bastion
Blogthebastion.co.inEssay (2020) comparing his street trash figures with Edward Burtynsky's photographs of landfills.
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Obscure monsters from random trash – Laughing Squid
Bloglaughingsquid.comShort 2015 post with photos of his monsters and a note on his book.
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The Transformative Art of Francisco de Pájaro
Blogbarcelonastreetart.com · BarcelonaOverview of his rejection by galleries, his colours, his influences and the Menorca mural controversy.
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Francisco de Pájaro's interview with Vice – summary
Blogbarcelonastreetart.com · BarcelonaEnglish summary of his Vice interview about street art as protest.
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Art Is Trash: the Barcelona street artist who turns rubbish into art
Blogbarcelonastreetart.com · BarcelonaRecent introduction to his work and where to find it in Barcelona (2026).
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Where to buy street art in Barcelona?
Blogbarcelonastreetart.com · BarcelonaGuide to buying street art in Barcelona, with his own website, the galleries in El Born and the Gothic Quarter and his book.
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Art is Trash auction results
His work rarely appears at auction, so these searches may return few or no results. Compare with gallery prices before you buy at auction.
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Francisco de Pájaro at Christie's
Auctionchristies.comChristie's search for Francisco de Pájaro lots and results.
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Francisco de Pájaro at Sotheby's
Auctionsothebys.comSotheby's search for works by Francisco de Pájaro.
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Francisco de Pájaro at Phillips
Auctionphillips.comPhillips search for Francisco de Pájaro lots and sold prices.
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Francisco de Pájaro at Artcurial
Auctionartcurial.com · ParisArtcurial (Paris) lots and results for Francisco de Pájaro.
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Francisco de Pájaro on Invaluable
Auctioninvaluable.comUpcoming Francisco de Pájaro lots from auction houses worldwide and past prices.
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Francisco de Pájaro on LiveAuctioneers
Auctionliveauctioneers.comFrancisco de Pájaro items at online auctions and sold prices.
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Art is Trash on YouTube: documentaries, interviews & tutorials
His own YouTube channel has a documentary and street clips from Barcelona and Mallorca. The searches below also cover the festivals and places linked to him.
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Documental Art is Trash – Francisco de Pájaro – watch on YouTube
Videoyoutube.comDocumentary on his own YouTube channel about his life and his night work on the streets.
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Art is Trash – El Arte es Basura BARCELONA 2009 – watch on YouTube
Videoyoutube.comHis early Barcelona street pieces, from the year the project started.
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Art is Trash – Francisco de Pájaro – Palma de Mallorca – watch on YouTube
Videoyoutube.comStreet pieces made in Palma, from his YouTube channel.
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'Art is trash': Galway rubbish transformed into urban art – watch on YouTube
Videoyoutube.comIrish Times video by Joe O'Shaughnessy of him at work during the 2016 Galway International Arts Festival.
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Art is Trash – Francisco de Pájaro
Videoyoutube.comVideos of him painting on rubbish in Barcelona and abroad.
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Art is Trash
Videoyoutube.comStreet clips filed under his artist name – check the channel name, as the phrase is also used by others.
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El Arte es Basura
Videoyoutube.comHis Spanish name; look for his Barcelona videos rather than talks on contemporary art.
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Drap Art
Videoyoutube.comBarcelona's recycled art festival, whose show travelled to Pittsburgh with him in 2017.
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Galway International Arts Festival
Videoyoutube.comThe Irish festival where he worked the streets in 2016.
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5 Pointz
Videoyoutube.comThe Queens graffiti site where one of his painted mattresses was found in 2014.
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Art is Trash Shorts on YouTube
Videoyoutube.comShort vertical videos about Art is Trash: quick drawings, murals and exhibition clips.
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Art is Trash on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest & Flickr
His Instagram and YouTube accounts, plus hashtag and search pages where passers-by post photos of his pieces before they disappear.
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Art is Trash on Instagram
Socialinstagram.comHis official Instagram account @artistrash, linked from artistrash.es.
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Art is Trash – Francisco de Pájaro on YouTube
Socialyoutube.comHis official YouTube channel, linked from artistrash.es, with a documentary and street videos from Barcelona and Mallorca.
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#artistrash on Instagram
Socialinstagram.comPhotos people share of Art is Trash murals, exhibitions, merchandise and fan art under #artistrash.
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Art is Trash pages on Facebook
Socialfacebook.comFacebook pages about Art is Trash: foundations, museums, exhibitions, shops and fan pages.
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Art is Trash groups on Facebook
Socialfacebook.comFacebook groups where fans and collectors share and discuss Art is Trash works.
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Art is Trash videos on Facebook
Socialfacebook.comVideos about Art is Trash on Facebook: exhibitions, murals, documentaries and reels.
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Art is Trash pins on Pinterest
Socialpinterest.comPins with Art is Trash artworks, murals, prints, room ideas and DIY inspiration.
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Art is Trash videos on Pinterest
Socialpinterest.comShort videos on Pinterest about Art is Trash: drawing ideas, crafts and decor.
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Art is Trash photos on Flickr
Socialflickr.comPhotographers' pictures of Art is Trash works in streets and museums.
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Art is Trash groups on Flickr
Socialflickr.comFlickr groups collecting photos of Art is Trash and related street art.
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Art is Trash originals, prints & collectibles on eBay
On eBay look for his canvases, objects and the 2015 book. Street pieces were never sold, so ask sellers how they got a work.
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Art is Trash works on eBay
On eBayebay.comCanvases, drawings and objects – ask for proof of origin, as his street pieces were never sold.
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Francisco de Pájaro on eBay
On eBayebay.comListings under his own name; check the signature and compare prices with his gallery.
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Art is Trash paintings on eBay
On eBayebay.comPaintings on canvas or found objects – check size, date and signature.
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Books about Art is Trash
The 2015 Promopress book is the main publication on his work, with street installations and canvases.
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Art is Trash
Bookamazon.comFrancisco de Pájaro, Promopress (2015) – the first book on his street installations and canvases, with his philosophy and development.
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Artists related to Art is Trash
Art is Trash has shown with New York names such as Ron English, Lady Pink and Richard Hambleton, and shares Rijeka's street art programme with Spanish artists Isaac Cordal and Pejac.
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Ron English
Related artisten.wikipedia.orgArt is Trash painted his pink LISA Project mural right below Ron English's Temper Tots in New York (2015); both were in the NYU Kimmel Windows show in 2016.
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Richard Hambleton
Related artisten.wikipedia.orgShown with Art is Trash in Art Street: 13 Windows 1 Wall at NYU's Kimmel Windows Gallery (2016).
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Lady Pink
Related artistsearch.streetartvalue.comAnother artist in the 2016 Kimmel Windows show in New York alongside Art is Trash.
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Cope2
Related artisten.wikipedia.orgBronx writer who shared the NYU Kimmel Windows exhibition with Art is Trash in 2016.
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John Fekner
Related artisten.wikipedia.orgNew York street art pioneer also featured in the 2016 Kimmel Windows show.
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Isaac Cordal
Related artisten.wikipedia.orgSpanish artist whose small figures were part of Rijeka's street art programme in 2018, the year before Art is Trash's residency there.
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Pejac
Related artisten.wikipedia.orgSpanish street artist who also worked in Rijeka in 2018 under the same programme that invited Art is Trash in 2019.
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Questions about Art is Trash
Who is Art is Trash?
Art is Trash (El Arte es Basura) is the artist name of Francisco de Pájaro, a Spanish artist born in 1970 in Zafra and based in Barcelona since 2003. Since 2009 he has painted figures and monsters on rubbish left in the street, from mattresses to cardboard boxes.
Why is it called Art is Trash?
He chose the name after galleries turned him down and a 2009 show sold nothing. It is a provocation: his material is literally rubbish, and he believes art should not be taken so seriously or tied to money.
Where can I see Art is Trash in Barcelona?
His street pieces are short-lived – most are cleared away by the next morning – so there is no fixed route. Pieces have been recorded in Ciutat Vella, for example at Carrer del Palau in 2024, and he long worked in El Raval. His paintings and sculptures are on permanent show at Artevistas Gallery in El Born and the Gothic Quarter.
How much does an Art is Trash artwork cost?
Street pieces are not for sale. In October 2026 Artevistas listed a small 2023 canvas at €750, larger canvases from about €3,800 to €6,800 and his signed book with an original drawing at €120. Prices change, so check the gallery and his own shop.
What happened with the Art is Trash mural in Menorca?
In 2021 he painted a large horse mural with his «Art is trash» slogan on the old Rocamar building in Es Castell. It was painted before the town hall gave permission and included the slogan, which was not in the application, so the town hall did not authorise it.
Is there a book about Art is Trash?
Yes. Art is Trash was published by Promopress in 2015 and shows his street installations and canvases. Signed copies are sold through Artevistas and his website.
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