With its space-age aesthetic, bold futuristic silhouettes and experimental materials, it is little wonder that Felipe Pantone’s house provided the perfect backdrop for an episode of Netflix’s sci-fi series Black Mirror.
Yet this extraordinary space is also the renowned contemporary artist’s private sanctuary. Born in Argentina and now based in Spain, Felipe is famously enigmatic, choosing never to reveal his face to the public. This decision stems from a simple reason: he prefers the world to focus on his vibrant artwork rather than his identity.
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOFelipe Pantone and his girlfriend Victoria Fernández outside Casa Axis,
Alongside his partner, Victoria ”Vicky” Fernández, and his proud mother, Amneris Marcoleta, he invites us into ”Casa Axis”, an architectural gem nestled on the outskirts of Valencia.
Originally constructed between 1972 and 1975 by the architect Pascual Genovés and the self-taught designer Antonio Segura, the place was known for decades as the ”Revolving House” until Felipe rechristened it ”Axis” – the Latin word for an axle or pivot.
A hub for artists
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOThe indoor pool which the artist designed himself
The property is surrounded by a magnificent 7,000 sq m garden, and Felipe was the latest person to fall under its spell. Following an intensive two-year renovation, the home now truly has it all: an indoor swimming pool designed by the artist himself, a private tennis court, a dance club and rooms bathed in an abundance of natural light.
”I originally found it while looking for a studio, but it ended up becoming something much bigger,” he tells us. ”When I first discovered it, I was completely captivated. I knew instantly that it wasn’t just a relic; it was a platform.
”We host artists from all over the world here. Creativity breathes 24 hours a day; there is always someone experimenting, learning or ‘making a mess’ in the best way possible.”
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOThe couple host artists from all over the world at Casa Axis
His partner, Vicky, says: ”With him, it is on another level. I never know quite how many people I am shopping for; it could be for just the two of us or for 800. He created Casa Axis to support and inspire other artists, and we love enjoying it with our friends. We are never truly alone.”
For Felipe, he has found the perfect place, and it’s something he considers to be one of his most significant professional achievements.
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOFelipe with his mother Amneris in the 7,000 sq m garden
”Building my studio here as both a residential space and a creative meeting point has been a masterclass in design, architecture, materials, sound…
”It’s like curating a permanent exhibition that involves all the senses. It has meant a great deal of hard work, but at the same time an immense amount of personal growth, too.”
From graffiti roots to op art
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOThe living room features a sculptural ceiling
With a signature style that seamlessly fuses street art, futurism and op art (optical art) with a digital aesthetic, Felipe has taken the global art world by storm. His work, which he describes as ”ultradynamic”, strikes a balance between traditional techniques and a more avant-garde digital touch.
Felipe has created monumental installations, including his DATAFALL in Moscow and Chromadynamica at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and held exhibitions at the Art Basel fair in Miami. He hosted his latest project, Visual Intensification: Focus, at the Las Vegas Sphere.
”After so many years travelling, I feel at home almost anywhere, but Valencia is the place I always want to return to,” he says. Today, Felipe stands as one of contemporary art’s best-loved multidisciplinary creators. Yet for him, the true measure of success is ”being able to be where I want and do what I want, to have the absolute freedom to create”.
Felipe, where does your creativity come from and what was your first real encounter with art?
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOFelipe sitting on a stool he designed
”I don’t come from a family of professional artists; it was just something that came from within. However, my parents were always keen to move forward, never afraid of change or of reinventing things…and that is a form of art in itself.
”My father was a blacksmith and used to draw up technical plans. Maybe that’s where my fascination with precision and structure began.”
Did your family support your interest in graffiti, which you started at age 12?
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOFelipe pairs contemporary design pieces by Arad and Starck with sculptural furniture
”My father was actually fine with it… my mother, not so much at first! I used to have to hide my spray cans outside the house. Eventually, I persuaded them to let me study fine art, and in the end everything just fell into place.”
How would you describe your own personality?
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOVictoria poses in front of the bookcase in the living room
”Years ago, I started calling my work ‘ultradynamic’ to describe an energy that never sits still, and I think that reflects my own life. As a child, I moved house and country many times, and graffiti later taught me to adapt to any surface or context. That adaptability is my foundation.
”I’ve always been fascinated by bringing together worlds that, on the face of it, shouldn’t really match. For me, that’s what art is: bringing distant universes closer together.
”In my daily life, and even here at Casa Axis, I love hosting a real mix of people and seeing unexpected connections happen. That blend of dynamism, flexibility and connection is probably what defines me best.”
You have created both street art and works for galleries and museums. What is the key difference?
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOFelipe works in his studio
”The core of the work remains the same; it’s the setting and the way the public interacts with it that changes. You have to understand each specific context and ensure you’re presenting the very best version of the work for that space.”
Your work blends futurism and op art with a digital aesthetic. What inspired this fusion?
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOFelipe restoring the property’s nightclub
”Op art connects me to a recent past that still feels incredibly vibrant. Futurism is a projection of what’s yet to come, while the digital revolution is the very present we inhabit. My work is conscious of that continuity – the past, present and future all dialoguing on a single surface.”
What has been the greatest personal challenge of your life so far?
”Building an independent life through art, starting with very little, has been a demanding path, but it’s been one full of invaluable lessons.”
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOThe property’s nightclub
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?
”My father used to say: ‘Look after the flute, because the serenade is long.’ It’s his way of saying that if you want to be at your best for the long haul, you have to take care of both your body and your mind.”
‘For me, art isn’t a job; It’s a state of being. If I’m awake, I’m creating’
Felipe Pantone
How do you switch off from work?
”For me, art isn’t a job; it’s a state of being. If I’m awake, I’m creating. That said, celebrating with friends is my favourite way to hit the ‘reset’ button before heading back into the studio.”
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOA small dining space
How would you like to be remembered?
”Hopefully through my work, although I like to think my best is yet to come. I’d like people to remember that I truly tried to enrich the lives of others through both art and life.”
Can you tell us what’s on the horizon for you?
”I’m currently preparing for my next exhibition with my Paris gallery, Danysz, as well as another with Albertz Benda in Los Angeles. On top of that, I’m working on a project for a hotel in China, exciting collaborations with a motorbike brand and a sunglasses label, and a very special commission for one of the most futuristic venues in the world…”
Relationship in perfect tandem
© PALOMA ROJASMARCOS AND FERNANDA NAVARRO DE COUCHE STUDIOVicky in the ”chromatic room”
”She is the bravest person I know,” Felipe says of his partner and life companion.
”I consider myself brave, but she truly surpasses me. We constantly push each other to grow together.”
Before their paths crossed romantically, the pair were close friends. However, during a holiday when they ”both happened to be single”, Vicky says that ”the spark just happened” between them.
”I was in Ibiza with our great friend Okuda, and Felipe invited him to spend a week on a boat. I went along too,” she recalls. They have been inseparable ever since. Though they move in two very different circles – Vicky works in the field of fertility and assisted reproduction, coordinating international programmes – they form a perfect tandem.
”Life with Felipe is such fun, mostly because of the person he is, although his work is certainly an added bonus,” she says.
”We travel a lot, and I enjoy the events and the fascinating people we meet all over the world.
”He is incredibly disciplined and works so hard – first with his studio team and then continuing late into the night with international meetings, designing, or, as he puts it, ‘creating the art of the future’.
”Vicky adds: ”What I love most about him is his intelligence and his way of thinking; along with that mix of fun and discipline, and the way he lives his life with passion and generosity.”