All posts tagged: AKORE

An Enchanted Painted Forest in SANT ADRIÀ

An Enchanted Painted Forest in SANT ADRIÀ

Urban environments continue to evolve and adapt to the exigencies of population growth caused in part by the exodus of people from rural areas to metropolia around the world. Structural features of infrastructure previously thought of as “modern” is now simply eyesores as people aim to incorporate imagery and symbols of natural beauty and human warmth. “Calming” solutions in otherwise noisy and congested streets and boulevards in megacities include the reclaiming of space and “greening” of areas that were once reserved for motorists.

Eloizaga. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

City leaders and urban planners more often now work with arts organizations to create a new visual landscape for our cities – by creating art programs to beautify spaces. One such project is in the municipality of Sant Adrià de Besos in the Spanish city of Barcelona.

According to the description, translated from Catalan to English on the organizer’s IG account, (@elbosc_encantat_c31), the project is “An open-air mural art museum. An impressive creative forest is formed by more than 200 columns that support the C-31 on its way through the municipality of Sant Adrià de Besos. A unique project in the world with the participation of local and international artists”. The project, while impressive, is not unique, as artists and organizations have been using highway support pillars to paint murals in cities all over the world as reported HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

Anna Blu. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
DMC (Darryl McDaniels) by Akore. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Grand Master Flash by Akore. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Alberto de Blobs. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Poncho. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pez. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pez. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Felipe Pincel. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
ELISENDA SOLÀ-NIUBÓ. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Emilio Cerezo. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Aleshy. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Kimo Osuna. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Maga. EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

The project EL BOSC ENCANTAT DE SANT ADRIÀ, is curated by Zosen and Juanki, and it began in 2016. It is carried out in collaboration with the Sant Adriá City Council and the Asociación Cultural El Generador, with the support of TRAMmi, it is part of the HOP Sant Adrià-Art Urbá.”

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“Torre Marti”, a Summer Country House Turned Market by Artists in Polinyà, Spain

“Torre Marti”, a Summer Country House Turned Market by Artists in Polinyà, Spain

Today we go to Polinyà, about 45 km from Barcelona, Spain, to visit the site of a historic summer country house.  Built during the 1900s, “within the so-called Catalan modernism,” says Lluis Olive, the home was inhabited by the Marti family in this municipality of 8,389 until about 10 years ago when it became a restaurant. According to a description in Wikipedia, “The façades have, within Italianate lines, symmetry and consistency in the design of openings and moldings used for framing balconies and windows at the top.”

Unfortunately, the restaurant venture didn’t succeed for long and the property became empty. You KNOW what happens next in this story. However, you may not guess that the artist Fullet Original hoped to help find a new buyer by filling all the rooms of the house with graffiti and mural art.

Zudi. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

According to Olive, who shares his photos with BSA readers here today, Fullet carried “out a project that he had dreamed of many times.” His friend has purchased the property, plans to hold an alternative market in it, and “last weekend about 15 artists were painting practically all of the spaces,” says Olive. The rooms were flooded with light and aerosol and lively conversation as the former farmhouse came alive in January with so many artists and friends.

The cross-section of styles are indicative of tastes of the moment in Spain and should be finished within a week or two. Which is good timing because “the opening of the market is scheduled for March.”

Zudi. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Monique. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Monique. Detail. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Akore. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Valiente. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original. Work in progress. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original with Werens. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Fullet Original. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Atila. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Emak. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Emak. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pibe. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Pibe. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Werens. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Reb. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
SM172. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Mesink. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tage 53. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tage 53. Work in progress. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tage 53. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Dirty. Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Torre Martí. Polinyà, Catalonia. Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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Barcelona Small Scale Street Works Popping Up in the Face of Development

Barcelona Small Scale Street Works Popping Up in the Face of Development

Graffiti and street art are cyclical in many ways – reflective of society, urban planning, politics, current events, demographics… Currently the city of Barcelona is pushing hard on cleansing itself of the wild graffiti and street art that brought it so many tourists 15 years ago.

BL2A. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)

With the pendulum of real estate development and gentrification swinging from aesthetic chaos to antiseptic order, street artists are changing tactics as well, opting for smaller pieces that are quickly and surreptitiously installed.

“The Raval / Ciutat Vella neighborhood used to have 4 or 5 ‘orchards,’” says photographer Lluis Olive-Bulbena, using a slang term to describe empty areas between blocks where freelance painters like to adorn abandoned walls. “Nowadays there are only one or two.”

BL2A. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)

We’re pleased to introduce a number of artists specializing in smaller works; artists with names like BL2A, Karma, and Radical Playground. Each has their own style and each are part of a new wave using a smaller canvas, sometimes ingeniously; the sticker, the stencil, paste-ups, even ceramic – on the streets of Barcelona.

BL2A. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
BL2A. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Karma Artist. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Radical Playground. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Radical Playground. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Radical Playground. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Demoiselle. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Hologat BCN. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Hologat BCN. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
AKORE. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
AKORE, BL2A and Tuike Souza. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Tiny Hands, Big Heart. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Tiny Hands, Big Heart. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
Tiny Hands, Big Heart. Raval / Ciutat Vella, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive-Bulbena)
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Back Alley Survey of Offerings in La Ciutat Vella, Barcelona

Back Alley Survey of Offerings in La Ciutat Vella, Barcelona

La Ciutat Vella or The Old City is a district in Barcelona also known as the Gothic Quarters. Among many things it is also known as the stomping grounds for the young Pablo Picasso, who attended the Fine Arts school that once stood on Calle Avinyó.

Salamidoggy (photo © Lluís Olive)

Not to mention the impressive Gothic architecture and the first project of Famed Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi. Rambling up La Rambla is a good way to check out the parade of Barceloneons with its long walking avenue and take get great food in El Raval which is 50% populated by immigrants who come from many places including South America, Pakistan, the Phillipines, and Romania. Also, its close to the beach.

For those looking for street art this is also a remarkable point of destination. There are no big walls really but The Old City has plenty of back allies where artists find old rusty doors or windows to put up small pieces of Street Art.

The lengths you have to go to have a cigarette these days. Cane (photo © Lluís Olive)

Figurative, fantastical, surreal, dark pop, illustration techniques are favorites for local artiststs, who use all the compliment of modern Street Art techniques, including stencils, posters, stickers, and wheat pastes.

Our sincere thanks to photographer Lluis Olive who visited this part of the city recently and sends this  dispatch of small offerings to share with BSA readers.

Shark party Homer popsicle LSD vision? Konair . Scifu (photo © Lluís Olive)
Konair . Noriaki (photo © Lluís Olive)
Stew (photo © Lluís Olive)
Amazing framing of the piece! Raf Urban (photo © Lluís Olive)
Raf Urban (photo © Lluís Olive)
Guatemao (photo © Lluís Olive)
Rockaxon (photo © Lluís Olive)
Akore (photo © Lluís Olive)
Fake (photo © Lluís Olive)
Joel Arroyo (photo © Lluís Olive)
Bronik (photo © Lluís Olive)
Bronik (photo © Lluís Olive)
Bronik (photo © Lluís Olive)
Ashwan (photo © Lluís Olive)
Sofresso (photo © Lluís Olive)
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Castellers, Correfocs, and Stencil Art in Barcelona Streets

Castellers, Correfocs, and Stencil Art in Barcelona Streets

We always say that Street Art reflects us back to ourselves and during a recent trip to the streets of Barcelona we found some great examples of regional traditions that build community and celebrate culture, even strengthen it. Of course we also found some great stencil art that we hope you’ll enjoy.

Ceaser Baetulo. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The above stencil is a part of a larger wall where multiple artists have gone up over the years. It depicts a human tower or Castellers a tradition unique in Catalonia that dates back to the 18th century. In today’s Barcelona the Castellers perform in competitions, usually in the Town Hall Square during the traditional holidays of the particular town or city.

Unidentified artist. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

The stencil above is also on the same wall as the Castellers. This stencil depicts a Catalan tradition as well called the Correfoc. The Correfocs are a group of individuals dressed as devils playing with fire, mostly fireworks. As the Correfocs light their fireworks they get near the crowds, many spectators choose to participate by getting very close to the devils while others decide to watch the festivities from afar.


Akore. At La Escocesa in Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

AKORE does Run DMC at The Hangar in Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

BToy in Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rice in Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rice in Barcelona, Spain. Also, anarchy. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

 

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BSA en Barcelona: Miss Van, La Escocesa, and Reskate!  Dispatch 1

BSA en Barcelona: Miss Van, La Escocesa, and Reskate! Dispatch 1

This week BSA is in Barcelona to participate in the Contorno Urbano competition to select an artist for a new community mural and residency in the municipality of Sant Feliu de Llobregat – and of course to see the famed Barcelona Street Art scene as it continues to evolve.


Fresh off the plane from New York at 7 am, BSA hit the streets with the talented Street Art photographer Fer Alcalá and the director of Fundacion Contorno Urbana, Esteban Marin – both amazing and generous hosts.

Miss Van (photo © Jaime Rojo)

We covered a lot of terrain in this pretty, clean and relatively quiet European city (Catalonian referendum marches last month not withstanding) and there is a wide variety of sanctioned and unsanctioned art on the streets even today, years after the city began cracking down on an organic Street Art scene that flourished here in the mid 2000s.

You’ll find a lot of local Street Artists here as well as a few international names who are passing through, or who have settled here and have studios in addition to a street practice.

Yo también ! A very early Escif at La Escocesa. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

For lunch you may want to check out the regional special dishes like Escudella d’Olla , a hearty Catalan stew with poached meats and vegetables, or fideuà, a noodle dish that locals may prefer to paella – made with seafood like cuttlefish, monkfish, prawns all cloaked in alioli, a thick garlic and olive oil sauce.

Afterwards you can check out La Escocesa, a self-managed artistic production center that focuses on the visual arts with the public in mind. The artist spaces, performance spaces, gallery spaces – a real hothouse of invention and an art factory on the site of a former textile factory  that reminds you of what artist communities can be like when the right elements are present and in balance.

Escif at the wonderfully raw The Hangar.(photo © Jaime Rojo)

A number of artists have residencies here at the moment, including muralists Mina Hamada and Zosen, who we just saw in Brooklyn at the Vinz Feel Free “Innocence” show while they were in town to paint a huge wall in Jersey City – it is a small world.

Unfortunately in two years La Escocesa will be demolished to make room for affordable housing – it’s owned by the city council which purchased it from the banks.

Reskate (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Reskate (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Also if you come here you’ll want to check out a new mural by Reskate, an artistic collective formed by Maria López and Javier de Riba, who have a workshop and studio in the Sants district of Barcelona.

With an illustrative style full of life, you can see influences from popular culture, graphic design, pop and traditional sign-painting. Our hosts tell us they often paint referencing social themes – and they certainly are loved here. Here’s a shot of our little touring group at one point. See you all tomorrow!

Miquel Wert. A “secret” spot curated by Jiser. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

A Brooklyn King in Barcelona. Biggie Smalls by Axe Colours (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Axe Colours goes GOT. (photo © Jaime Rojo)

“Costa Rican artist is still a revolutionary act!” Akore (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Rice (photo © Jaime Rojo)

 

1UP (photo © Jaime Rojo)

Sixe Paredes (photo © Jaime Rojo)


Fàbriques de Creació. La Escocesa from Barcelona Cultura on Vimeo.

 

For more about Jiser: www.jiser.org

For more about The Hangar: www.hangar.org/es

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35 Artists in Barcelona Trying To Save The Arctic with Greenpeace

35 Artists in Barcelona Trying To Save The Arctic with Greenpeace

Yesterday our posting was about artists in London creating works about endangered species and today we go to Barcelona where 35 artists joined with Greenpeace and a local group named RebobinArt on April 9th to create works centered on environmental issues, especially the quickly disappearing polar ice cap.

Only three days later scientists announced that the Greenland “Melt” has happened one month earlier than usual this year, smashing records and causing scientists to reexamine their measuring instruments to make sure they were working correctly.

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La Castillo. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

The art-platform model of RebobinArt is interesting because they are a community organization that manages spaces and issues permits for painting for competitions, festivals, exhibitions, educational programs, and cause-based events like this one.

Under the guidance of Director Marc Garcia, RobobinArt promotes and facilitates a different sort of public painting that is not strictly commercial and yet it is clearly not the freewheeling graffiti/street art based stuff that made Barcelona such a magnet for artists in the early-mid 2000s.

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DASE. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Done along a 600 meter long strip in the neighborhood of Poblenou many artists joined in to paint simultaneously and talk about issues like biodiversity and the melting of the arctic. Artists included :  AKORE, Dase, Rupper Artgigena, Labuenaylamala, Cheko, EDJINN, Laura Torroba, Mateu Targa, 400kunstler, Jaloóndeaquiles, Ulises Mendicutty, Joaquim Riaq, Santa sudaka, Penao, ENER, Tayone Grey Rainbow, Axe Colours, Bublegum, Mariajo, Rubicon1 , Camil Escruela, Elru Ghyart, El Xupet Negre , Mr. Sis , Kimo Osuna, H3L-X, Eva Zurita, and LaCastillo, among others.

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Axe Colours. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

 

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Santa Sudaka. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

brooklyn-street-art-pau-lopez-vila-lluis-olive-bulbena-04-16-web

Pau Lopez Vila. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

brooklyn-street-art-kimo-osuna-lluis-olive-bulbena-04-16-web

Kimo Osuna. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

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Mr. Sis. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

brooklyn-street-art-color-in-action-lluis-olive-bulbena-04-16-web

Color In Action. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

brooklyn-street-art-ahanko-mimiko-riaq-miuq-lluis-olive-bulbena-04-16-web

Ahanko Mimiko . Riaq Miuq. Save The Arctic. Barcelona, Spain. April 2016. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Our very special thanks to photographer Lluis Olive Bulbena for sharing these exclusive photos with BSA readers.

 

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