Spread across the walls of local businesses around the Madison area are beautiful murals that seem to grasp the essence of this city. Many of them were created by the same artist, @triangulador, whose real name is Liubov Szwako. He was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico but has been living in Madison for the past decade or so.
According to his website (www.triangulador.com) he is “a human who finds joy in experimenting and finding his ways to manipulate paint while creating his own path through patterns and shapes that are both spontaneous and abstract.” His incredibly recognizable art is created using spray paint, acrylics, and other mediums. He describes his art as being “connected to unconventional found objects.” I have seen his art all over Madison, but had not really known who it came from or what the purpose of it was.
During the summer and fall of 2020, when many of the stores on State Street were boarded up, Szwako contributed to some of the beautiful art that was created on these shop windows. Some of the shops that he created art on include It’s Sugar, August, European Wax Center, and Fair Trade Coffee House. The art was created with the intention to celebrate inclusion, love, and unity, as described on his Instagram and in the art itself.
He also has frequently ‘tagged’ mattresses that are left on the curb with funky designs. Many of these designs have been posted on his page as well, with captions that inspire viewers to take it upon themselves to do what they want in the world... “Tomorrow might not exist.. Go do what you love. #triangulador” (post on March 8, 2021).
Another form of art that he creates are murals on the side of local Madison businesses. One that I personally have appreciated is titled “Flamingo Swirls” that is on the side of the Laundromat on the corner of Blount and Johnson on the East side. If you have ever headed toward Milwaukee from downtown, you most likely have seen this mural. It has always made me smile, and the bright and cheery colors hold up well to the (sometimes) bleak Madison winters.
Szwako has also created murals inside of businesses all around the Madison area. Inside Garth’s Brew Bar lives a green swirl mural and inside Moxe Health lives an abstract tree mural. These murals bring life to the place where they are housed.
Szwako was interviewed by the news site Tone Madison, and he said that he always loved writing in graffiti letters and other types of lettering. He was very interested in becoming a graphic designer but wasn’t interested in pursuing a higher education past high school. He instead chose to move to Madison and create art. He enjoys experimenting with different materials and just putting whatever he is thinking about into the world in a creative format.
When Szwako makes art, he does not trace anything. He might make a small sketch beforehand, but all of the actual work is created there in the moment, on mattresses and in the street. Part of it for him is changing something from being trash or just not noticeable to something that makes you stop and think, “huh, that’s cool.” However, all the art he creates is for himself. The one aspect of his art that he does struggle with is selling it. Even though he creates the art for himself, he wants someone who is purchasing the art to appreciate it for what it is. It’s not a product, but something to make people pause in their day and just have a little more appreciation for the world.
One of Szwako’s main influences once he reached Madison was Stefan Matioc. Matioc is another doodle artist in the Madison area, whose art can be seen downtown as well. Most of what Szwako learned was about confidence and just doing whatever he wanted to do. Some of that came from his childhood, as he said he was raised that he could do anything he wanted to do as long as he was nice to people. This is why he hasn’t spray painted random walls in Madison no matter how much he would like to. He has talked to the police many times, just to figure out what he is and isn’t allowed to do, so he doesn’t get arrested and can still enjoy doing his art for the public (and himself) to enjoy.
One last piece of advice from Liubóv Szwako is to not do anything just because it’s popular, but instead do something for your own pleasure and ignore what others think about it. Something that’s important to remember as some of us graduate and go into the real world, where everyone’s timeline is different! Keep your eyes peeled for stray mattresses around Madison that have funky little doodles on them and think of @triangulador when you come across them!
By Carly Jennings
ACP Director