Rubén Sánchez, also known as Zoonchez, is a renowned Spanish artist who has gained international recognition for his colorful and balanced compositions. He is widely known for his sculptures and large-scale public murals, which can be found in Canada, UAE, France, Jordan, Germany, Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, and the United States. Born in Madrid in 1979, Rubén developed a fascination for graffiti at 13. After quitting school, he worked at various day jobs before becoming interested in graphic design. In the 2000s, he moved to Barcelona and worked in different graphic design agencies. During this period, he began creating his first artworks on reclaimed materials and developed his signature characters in the streets.
Rubén’s artistic career began at the street level, where he mainly painted graffiti. Later, he started creating illustrations and mixed them with his original graffiti skills. He made several of these artworks in public places, including streets, as well as on different mediums such as canvases, wood, and all types of recycled materials.
In 2012, Rubén was awarded a one-year art residency program at Tashkeel in Dubai, established by Lateefa bint Maktoum. During this residency, he created a vast amount of artwork and painted the first public outdoor mural in the country (non-commercial). This residency helped him become a full-time artist.
In 2019, Rubén designed the brand identity of the UEFA Champions League Finals in Madrid. His work has been appreciated for its vibrant color palettes, asymmetry, and lack of perfect proportions. He tends to convey certain messages and concerns through his art, which the viewer is challenged to depict.
Throughout his career, Rubén has conducted several humanitarian projects. Between 2014 and 2016, he created several murals in refugee camps in Zaatari (Jordan) and Lesbos (Greece). In collaboration with AptART, he conducted different projects to highlight the views of children from Syria and Jordan regarding their homes, after a civil war in Syria made people leave their homes and reside in refugee camps. Later on, he created a mural in Russeifa (Jordan), Pushing Boundaries, to highlight women’s rights and other gender issues.
In a significant mural project, Rubén used tribal art in a surrealism style rendered in Mediterranean colors and presented “a woman oppressed by the walls of her house trying to take down the walls and metaphorically opening herself to the world.” His canvases, murals, ceramics, and large public sculptures depict a strong Mediterranean influence. He cites Joan Miró, Le Corbusier, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Juan Gris as his main influences.
In recent years, the artworks of Rubén Sánchez have exhibited a variety of themes, including connectivity, human imperfection, balances, and imbalances. His unique style and humanitarian projects have made him one of the most sought-after artists of his generation, and he continues to inspire many young artists worldwide.