Cachetejack is the wonderful collaborative entity formed by Nuria Bellver & Raquel Fanjul, a spanish duo based out of Valencia and Prague. despite this long distance relationship, all of their illustrations and projects have a very uniform feel, characteristic of a perfect marriage of influences and styles. since starting work together a few years ago, they’ve worked on diverse projects ranging from editorials and freelance illustrations to self-designed books focusing on current social and political affairs, among other themes. their pieces are characterized by very bold colors, child-like caricatures, and lots and lots of hidden humour and irony. there is no doubt that by looking at their portfolio you will be inclined to chuckle and smile at least a few times. their outstanding body of work has been exhibited in various shows across Spain, with a recent highlight being their participation in London’s contemporary graphic art fair “Pick Me Up“, which kicks off this Thursday, March 22nd and runs until April 1st, 2012. we hope you enjoy our interview with the all-mighty cachetejack!

CACHETEJACK (Illustration Collective, Valencia & Prague)

website | flickr | twitter: @cachetejack

* tell us about how Cachetejack came to existence. when and why did you decide to join forces as a collective? 

we met about 6 years ago, but it wasn’t really until a year and a half ago when we started working together. We are really grateful about how it all happened; we never really felt so strongly about something before. The idea started brewing on a sofa one night at about 11pm and all of the sudden we ran out on the streets yelling “we are cachetejack!” We had no clue what it meant, we just knew we had to do it.

* how do you handle the dynamics of working as a collective? do you separate tasks when working on a project or do you take a more collaborative approach?

Our work has always taken a collaborative approach, from the first idea up to the final result. We basically work for a “being” called Cachetejack. Ultimately the stamp or signature behind every project belongs to him.

* there seems to be a lot of irony present in your pieces, where does that come from and why do you prefer it as a means of communicating your ideas? 

Irony comes from our genes, more so when getting together, just like everything else that’s good or bad, it’s multiplied by two.

* if you could soundtrack your work, what would you choose?  

We’d pick “Move Your Feet” as it’s very much like us or rather like the energy generated when we are together.

* what is your favorite thing about living in Valencia / Prague?

We would have to say Skype! It’s really either the most hated or loved thing, but it’s really what keeps us together at the moment.

* what does the future hold in store for Cachetejack? are there any projects in particular you would like to work on?

Our destiny spells success! To be honest, we are happy to have a new project or collaboration each month, and maybe something more. This month we’ll be in London for the Pick Me Up Graphic Fair (22 March – 1 April) where we’ll be showcasing and selling our works. Regarding any project in particular, well we really have to say ANY AND ALL!! We have always said that it’s better to have than to wish for…