Costus

COSTUS (Enrique Naya, 1953-1989 and Juan Carrero, 1955-1959).
"Chulo rosa", c. 1981.
Fluorescent acrylics on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 25 x 11 cm; 51 x 36.5 cm (passe-partout).
Costus was the pseudonym adopted in 1981 by Enrique Naya Igueravide (1953-1989) and Juan José Carrero Galofré (1955-1989), two Spanish visual artists who, besides sharing a sentimental relationship, played a fundamental role in the configuration of the iconography of the Movida Madrileña. Enrique Naya Igueravide was born in Cadiz and Juan José Carrero Galofré, in Palma de Mallorca.both artists met during the 1974-75 academic year at the School of Arts and Crafts in Cadiz and, the following year, moved to Madrid to continue their training.in 1977 they moved to an apartment on Calle de la Palma, in the Malasaña neighborhood. This space, known as the "Casa Costus", became a key meeting point for the protagonists of the Movida Madrileña and served as the setting for the shooting of the interiors of the film Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón (Pepi, Luci, Bom and other girls of the bunch). Its surroundings brought together leading figures of the artistic and musical scene such as Pedro Almodóvar, Alaska, Fabio McNamara and Carlos Berlanga, contributing to the consolidation of a cultural movement of great transcendence.later, the artists moved to the home of photographer Pablo Pérez-Mínguez, where they made preliminary studies for the pictorial series El Valle de los Caídos. In this context, his work El desafío, by Juan Costus, appeared in several scenes of Almodóvar's film Laberinto de pasiones.
In search of new opportunities, Costus emigrated to Mexico, encouraged by the presence of Luis Sanguino, Juan's uncle and a sculptor with important connections. However, their artistic style was not fully appreciated in that context, so after six months, they decided to return to Spain. Upon their return, they temporarily resided in the Vistahermosa urbanization in El Puerto de Santa María, before settling again in Madrid, where they shared a house with their friend Tino Casal.
In this new stage in Madrid, they established a relationship with Eugenia Niño, director of the SEN Gallery, who promoted the edition of serigraphs and organized an exhibition with the works they had produced in Mexico. During their stay in this country, the vibrant color and cultural richness significantly influenced their style, especially Juan's work, which adopted a more intense chromatic palette.
Finally, they settled in El Puerto de Santa María. There they finished the series El Valle de los Caídos and began a new project entitled La Andalucía de Séneca, where they incorporated influences from Egyptian iconography, inspired by a trip to Egypt in the company of the designer Manuel Piña.
During their stay in El Puerto de Santa María, Enrique Naya began to manifest health problems and was diagnosed with HIV. Due to this situation, the couple decided to move to Sitges, looking for proximity to Barcelona, and on May 4, 1989, Enrique Naya died of AIDS. One month later, in the early morning of June 3 to 4, 1989, Juan Carrero put an end to his life.