Santi Flores is a Spanish artist, born in Albacete. Through his stainless steel sculptures, he has reached billions of people in urban exhibitions such as the one we can enjoy, until 15th April, in the Barrio de las Letras in Madrid.

His ability to fuse geometric forms and modern aesthetics has been acclaimed both nationally and abroad. He has recently returned from exhibiting on Broadway Avenue in New York, where his sculptures were part of the city for 6 months.

The gesture of the raised hand invites us to act, to become part of something, to want to be and to make yourself visible. In order to protect the lower hand, which is more vulnerable to pedestrians, it is welded to the tube that forms the torso of the sculpture, and reinforced by a ring that often includes the author's signature.

What particularly distinguishes Santi Flores' sculptures is his skillful use of stainless steel. This material, with its versatility and durability, allows him to explore forms and finishes in creative ways. During our walking tour of the sculptures path, he told us: "I shape the sculptures, I paint them leaving  certain spaces where stainless steel is visible, then I polish the surface to give it the reflective look  and to generate dynamic and changing visual effects".

Flores first shapes his sculptures and then colours the stainless steel surface with two-component polyurethane. Sometimes, before painting, he applies a primer which he leaves visible, interplaying among colours, the white from the primer and the distinctive colour of stainless steel. Each sculpture is coloured with different tones and graphics defined as "skins" by the artist, as each one has its own personality.

Stainless steel, with its ability to resist external agents and retain its original appearance over time, gives Flores' sculptures an enduring and timeless quality. His 4.5 metre high works are made of AISI 304 stainless steel in 3000 x 1500 and 1 mm thick sheets. Inside, several 4 mm tubes reinforce the sculpture. To weld the stainless steel plates, he uses TIG welding.

In his studio-gallery, which can also be visited during the tour of the Barrio de las Letras, Flores plays with the interaction between light and shadow in his works where each sculpture becomes a captivating visual experience that invites contemplation.

The work is defined as SOLITUDE, Solitude and Multitude. Santi tells us that "it's something that I practise, and the work came from reflection, it's walking along a big city like Madrid, as if you were walking through a grassland. Walking slowly in the middle of the Gran Vía, looking at the people, the buildings, and relaxing among  the chaos of the city. That is SOLITUDE".

A different point of view in which the person enjoys the solitude of his own company in the middle of the crowd of a big city. Thanks to the close collaboration of the Asociación de comerciantes del Barrio de las Letras for making this exhibition possible.

We encourage you to take a tour of the works of Santi Flores → https://santiflores.net/exposicion-urbana