All posts tagged: Juanjo Surace

History Vs. Developers; The Fight Against Erasing Working Class History in Barcelona

History Vs. Developers; The Fight Against Erasing Working Class History in Barcelona

In a demonstration of people power and the role of street artists as activists, we look today at a neighborhood called Poblenou in Barcelona, whose residents have been gripped in a struggle with real estate developers. The developers have tried to destroy the buildings, the history, and the culture of the area, the local citizen’s group says, and they intend to dissuade them. According to Poblenou neighbors, the large real estate company has attempted to persuade the local city board to purchase a cluster of buildings, including houses with great historical and emotional value, to replace them with offices and high-end residential buildings.

Rubicon. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

After about five years, the battle rages, with locals saying that the Poblenou neighborhood stands as a symbol of struggle and resistance for the working-class people who built it and that people are proud of what the area has accomplished over time. It is a familiar refrain, this gentrification brought by investors – often these days aided and abetted by the “beautification” of the neighborhood by artists.

In this case, the artists are lending their skills to help the fight for the neighborhood instead. The number includes artist Tim Marsh who lives here. Today we see the wall he and like-minded creatives created, focusing in many cases on people who live here, in “the Passage” of Poblenou.

We thank photographer Lluis Olive Bulbena for sharing his photos of some of the artists and their murals with BSA Readers.

Rubicon. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Morcky. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Morcky. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Morcky. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Rubicon. Morcky. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tim Marsh. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tim Marsh. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tim Marsh. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Ives One. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Ives One. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Tim Marsh. Ives One. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Vassilis Rebelos. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Vassilis Rebelos. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Simon Vazquez. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Simon Vazquez. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sebastiene Waknine. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Julien. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Theo Lopez. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sebastien Waknine – Theo Lopez – Vassilis Rebelos – Tim Marsh – Juanjo Surace – Ives One – Morcky – Rubicon. Passatge Morenes. Poblenou, Barcelona. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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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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A Mural Jam and Censorship: Fighting for Freedom Of Expression In Barcelona – Part II

A Mural Jam and Censorship: Fighting for Freedom Of Expression In Barcelona – Part II

It is notable when an organized gang of aerosol-wielding vandals protests your protest against censorship with censorship.

It’s also odious.

Everyone knows that it is normal for graffiti writers and street artists to expect that their ephemeral work may be buffed by a municipality or crossed out by a rival painter. This is a different matter entirely.

This is our 2nd time to bring you this story from a paint jam in Barcelona’s Plaza de las Tres Chimeneas where a collection of artists gathered to paint works addressing what they see as an unjust attack on the freedom of a citizen to express opinions in lyrics and writings. Taken together, these works are a passionate rejection of censorship and a colorful act of free speech by a community.

It made international news last month when Pablo Hasel, a Spanish rapper/singer/artist/musician from this city, was imprisoned under a Supreme Court ruling, which found his lyrics about King Emeritus Juan Carlos De Borbon to be offensive.

Roc Blackblock. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

Artist Roc Blackblock was surrounded by a tight semi-circle of scrutinizing journalists and citizens as he painted. This was his second mural since his first had been immediately censored and ordered removed at the action in mid-February by an NCNeta brigade who a Barcelona Urban Guard escorted. He didn’t appear to mind the pressure.

Roc Blackblock. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Roc Blackblock. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

Because there have been demonstrations in various cities and because modern media drools over scenes of destruction and violence, it’s easy to forget the many peaceful artists who paint their opinions, says documentary photographer Fernando Alcalá, who shares his work here.

“I think it’s important to keep speaking about the artistic actions when, after days of riots and looting, the media has forgotten about freedom of speech, and they just talk about burnt trash cans,” he says.

We’re happy that he captured these before they were destroyed by ‘Union de Brigadas,’ who recorded their censorious actions proudly and shared them on Twitter and YouTube.

Roc Blackblock. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Roc Blackblock with Jaume Montserrat piece on the right. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Jaume Montserrat. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Jaume Montserrat. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Roc Blackblock. Nau Bostik. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Roc Blackblock. Nau Bostik. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Roc Blackblock. Nau Bostik. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Bravopintor. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
La Castillo. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

I think it’s important to keep speaking about the artistic actions when, after days of riots and looting, the media has forgotten about freedom of speech and they just talk about burnt trash cans.”

~Fernando Alcalá

A paramilitaristic homage to the Beatles Abbey Road. La Castillo. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Edjinn. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Juanjo Surace. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Juanjo Surace. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Dazo & Mus. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Dazo & Mus. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Valiente Creations. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Valiente Creations. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Sigrid Amores, Tres Voltes Rebel, ARTEPORVO, and Elna Or. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Sigrid Amores, Tres Voltes Rebel, ARTEPORVO, and Elna Or. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Sigrid Amores, Tres Voltes Rebel, ARTEPORVO, and Elna Or. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Martz. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)
Martz. Parque de las Tres Chimeneas. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcalá)

See our other articles on this topic:

A Mural Jam and Censorship: Fighting for Freedom Of Expression In Barcelona – Part I

A Mural Jam and Censorship: Fighting for Freedom Of Expression In Barcelona – Part III

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Juanjo Surace’s View on Trump and The USA: “It’s a Trap!”

Juanjo Surace’s View on Trump and The USA: “It’s a Trap!”

Political cartoons and murals sometimes overlap but rarely as impressively and with such frightening a warning as this new one from Juanjo Surace in Barcelona.

The skill and quality and powerful depiction all come together here from across the Atlantic Ocean, perhaps a clarion summation of how those outside the U.S. now see us and the current occupant of the White House.

Juanjo Surace. Plaza De Las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

The artist is professionally a painter, sculptor, and animation professor. He says he is self taught and that his deepest love for his craft is expressed when spray it on the street.

All aerosol. Nine hours.

He says the new piece is entitled, “It’s a Trap!”

Juanjo Surace. Plaza De Las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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3rd Edition of Kronos Inclusive and Looking to the Future of Art, Graffiti, Creativity, the Street in Barcelona

3rd Edition of Kronos Inclusive and Looking to the Future of Art, Graffiti, Creativity, the Street in Barcelona

We continue to see a dissolving of previous tensions between the worlds of graffiti writing and mural artists and other disciplines of art-making as we travel around cities around the world. Artificial divisions have persisted, and indeed the lived experience of graff and street art and mural making are distinctly different in certain respects, but the piece is the piece, regardless of style, and each creator can be an ambassador with a message.

Our own philosophy is if art is going to have the transformative power that we believe it can have on all of our societies, families, and institutions we need to dissolve artificial divisions in the creative community as well – as they serve little constructive purpose. As art in the street usually reflects society at large, we have our own challenges with classism, sexism, and racism as well.

So it’s great to see the continuance of brotherhood and sisterhood at small neighborhood festivals like the 3rd Edition of the Kronos Art and Arts Santa Mònica here in an area of Barcelona during the third week of October. One core philosophy at this festival this year was to re-consider the future of art and its role by actively consulting kids in defining what art is, and what it could be.

Juanjo Suarce. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

“Be aware of the role of ARTIST and his work in our PRESENT, without judging, without imposing criteria, with the sole conviction that what we are creating is the prologue of the FUTURE in the ART”

During their ‘live painting’ events at 3 Chimney Plaza (Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies) it was the men and women, graffiti writers and street artists – all working side by side. Part of a much larger group of events that included 70+ artists, photography, sculpture, performance, music, video art, cinema, talks, and workshops, these painters just did their thing and had a good time.

“Becoming cultural activists, taking the reins of how to express ourselves and about what to express ourselves through art; and by doing so becoming key pieces for the freedom of creation, we become aware as spectators, as thinkers, as artists, as a species. KRONOS ART BCN 2020 is a wager to the freedom of society through the freedom of the artist; free to catch everything that interests and surrounds them, without fear of being judged and without judging the protagonists of their artwork. Free to BE in all the aspects that make us human, thus turning the PRESENT into the prologue of a FUTURE world full of diversity.”

Our thanks to photographer Lluis Olive Bulbena for capturing a few of the artists at work at the plaza.

Magda Cwik. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Magda Cwik. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Magda Cwik. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Seno. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Seno. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
CHAN. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
CHAN. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Bubbles – Keruna. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Bubbles – Keruna. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Mega – Keruna. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
SOEM. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
SOEM. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Ives One. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Ives One. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Ives One – Seno. Kronos Festival. Plaza de las 3 Xemeneies, Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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Post Royalty Fígols: Post-Graffiti at the Count’s Castle in the Pyrenees

Post Royalty Fígols: Post-Graffiti at the Count’s Castle in the Pyrenees


“Have you taken down the names for your paper yet?” she asked me. “Stay by my side and I will dictate them to you: the Count and Countess of Caralt, the Marquess of Palmerola, the Count of Fígols, the Marquess of Alella, the …

~ A Barcelona Heiress, By Sergio Vila-Sanjuán


Isabel Rabassa. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

In the decade before the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona was on the verge of boiling over, and perhaps this castle in the Pyrenees mountains to the south was at its height of glory thanks to workers in its coal mines. The Count of Figols and his family enjoyed the view from the tower while the miners, some as young as 14 years old, kept toiling about 13 kilometers away – until they revolted in 1932.


SM172. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

“The mining company, the greater part of which was owned by Liverpool-born José Enrique de Olano y Loyzaga, First Count of Figols, prohibited union organization and paid its workforce in tokens redeemable only in the company stores.”

Revolution and the State: Anarchism in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939, by Danny Evans.


SM172. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Today you can hashtag Figols (#figols) on social media and you can see the tower (Torre del Compte de Fígols) and wander through the ruins of the castle (Castillo Conde de Fígols) – and discover new graffiti pieces and paintings throughout the rooms. That’s what photographer Lluis Olive Bulbena did last week when he went to check out some fresh stuff he heard was painted here about 120 km north of Barcelona. We thank him for sharing his images with BSA readers from the castle of the Count of Figols.

The Count of Figols: “José Enrique de Olano y Loyzaga, basc però nascut el 1858 a Liverpool, va ser el promotor de Carbones Berga S.A., adquirida l’any 1893” – from Directa
SM172. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
SM172. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Isabel Rabassa. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Isabel Rabassa. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Isabel Rabassa. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Isabel Rabassa. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Paulo Consentino. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Ives One. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sebastiene Waknine. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sebastiene Waknine. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Sebastiene Waknine. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Rubicon. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
a FASE. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Unidentified artist. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Gerson Ruiz. Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Castillo Conde de Figols. Catalonia, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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Spanish “El Konvent” Welcomes Street Artists and Nurtures Collective Culture

Spanish “El Konvent” Welcomes Street Artists and Nurtures Collective Culture

Typically you may expect to be praying the novena and asking God for absolution of your dastardly sins here in this sprawling compound called The Konvent near Barcelona. While no one would stop you today, you may also wish to check out a number of new installations throughout the many buildings by Street Artists.

Teo Vazquez (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

The Roman Catholic former convent hosted 50 or so artists over the last couple of years to transform the space, perhaps to reinterpret its original charge in a modern light, perhaps just to ready the compound for commercial, cultural, and community pursuits of the owners.

Certainly the decaying spaces and austere aesthetic is inviting, calming, possibly frightening, depending on your associations. Now they are home for music, dance, theatre, film festivals, and artist residencies – often offered only in Catalan but some also in European Spanish.

Teo Vazquez (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

As you walk through the spaces you are welcomed by these works by artists, many of them at one time or another categorized as Street Artists, whose voices now usher in a new era of contemplation and perhaps internal exploration.

Our thanks to photogapher and BSA contributor Lluis Olive Bulbena for sharing these images from El Konvent.

For more information about El Konvent please Click HERE

Jofre Oliveras (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Unidentified artist (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Samuel Aranda Studio (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
AEC – Interesni Kazki (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Valiente Creations (photo © Lluis Olive)
Holy Era (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Wedo . Slim (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Wedo (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Slim (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Slim (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Slim (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Mugraff (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Troy Lovegates (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Troy Lovegates (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Juanjo Surace (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Simon Vazquez . Sebastien Waknine (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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No Borders: Murs Contra el Murs (Walls Against Walls)

No Borders: Murs Contra el Murs (Walls Against Walls)

This past Sunday, February 17 at La Plaza de las Tres Chimeneas ( Three Smokestacks Square) in Barcelona an international group of artists participated in the first “No Borders Festival.”

Carles G.O’D. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)

Called “Murs Contra el Murs”, which is Catalan for “Walls Against Walls”, the multi-mural festival intends to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crises of refugees and immigrants at international borders around the world.

Graffiti artists, Street Artists, painters, and illustrators came together to create new murals to speak to the issue and encourage debate and conversation. Artists included Btoy, Carles G.O’D, Dixon, Eledu, Enric Sant, Javier Arribas, Juanjo Surace, Julieta XLF, Kenor, Kram, Pincho, Roc Blackblock, Ruina, Saturno, Simón Vázquez, Tutzo, and Wati Bacán, among others.

Julieta XLF. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)

NO BORDERS is a grassroots organization that was created to raise awareness about the refugees, to demand their acceptance, and to raise funds through debates, art and documentaries.

They say they want to raise the uncomfortable questions – which will undoubtedly lead to uncomfortable answers as well. To paraphrase the text on their website:

“Do we settle for a society that violates its moral and legal obligations to refugees? A refugee is a person who flees – Flees because he is on the losing side. Because he thinks, feels or prays differently than those who point him with their weapons.”

As usual, artists are bringing these matters to the street for the vox populi to debate.

Our sincere thanks to photographer Lluís Olive for sharing his shots of the walls with BSA readers.

Enric Sant. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Enric Sant. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
El Rey de la Ruina. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Juanjo Surace. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Royal. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Saturno Art . Eledu Works. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Pincho. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Kenor. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
Roc Black Block . Rubicon. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)
TVTZO. No Borders Festival. Barcelona, Spain. February 2019. (photo © Lluís Olive)

For more information on the festival running through March 3rd that includes documentaries, panel discussions, workshops, and prints, please go to https://noborders.es/ and follow @nobordersrefugees on Instagram

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Simone de Beauvoir: “La Clausura Del Infierno” (The Closing Of Hell)

Simone de Beauvoir: “La Clausura Del Infierno” (The Closing Of Hell)

It is in the knowledge of the genuine conditions of our lives that we must draw our strength to live and our reasons for living.”

French existentialist, feminist, and intellectual Simone de Beauvoir saw the hell created by us and held us accountable to be performative agents in actively transcending the facts of our existence. Since April three artists have been depicting that hell on the exterior wall of Torrent de les Bruixes Institute in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and they give Ms. De Beauvoir heroic role, triumphal; rising untouched and ebullient above the pit of vipers, monsters, dragons and fantastical embodiments of evils.

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

They call it “La Clausura Del Infierno”, roughly translated as “The Closing of Hell”. Perhaps it could be called “The Opening of Hell” as well.

Because we know you love to see the process as well as the final piece, here is a prime example of how the artists conceive the beginning of a mural by codifying colors. It is impressive how artists Sebastien Waknine, Simón Vázquez, and Juanjo Surace decided to sketch the forms and composition on the wall, using colors and shapes as code.

Our special thanks to photographer Lluís Olivé Bulbena, who shares these images with BSA readers.

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)

Sebastien Waknine . Simón Vázquez . Juanjo Surace: “La Clausura Del Infierno”. Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. 2018 (photo © Lluís Olivé Bulbena)


Social: @IES Torrent de les Bruixes @Sebastien Waknine @Simon Vazquez @Juanjo Surace @Gloria Ortiz @Arnau Art

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La Nau Bostik Dispatch: A Barcelona Cultural Haven Filled by Murals

La Nau Bostik Dispatch: A Barcelona Cultural Haven Filled by Murals

Images today from La Nau Bostik, an artist run complex in Barcelona that aims to be sustainable, inspirational, and a breathing living cultural oasis. By most accounts, it succeeds wildly.

Murals often accompany citizen-run cultural initiatives and art spaces like these, frequently to great effect. The spaces are raw and neglected and needs a sense of life and color; new narratives to fill the space with interactions and hopefully inspire collaboration.

Juanjo Surace. Detail. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Xavier Basiana and his cultural compatriots have established a community cultural and intellectual place in a settlement of ex-industrial warehouses over the last decade along the train tracks in La Sagrera, and the once barren soil now sprouts an ever growing crop of portraits, characters, fantasies, political and social messages.

In cities that we have the opportunity to visit we occasionally get to see these vibrant spaces like La Nau Bostik, now a cultural fixture that draws thousands throughout the year for a rich mix of programming and engagement. Surrounded by great organic works on the walls by fine artists and current or former Street Artists and graffiti writers, the environment seems to foster a re-generation of people-fueled ideas for progress, problem solving and dreaming.

Ivan Floro. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Without the synergistic effects of weaving all of these elements of education, celebration, theater, academic examination, civic engagement, the plastic arts, performance, labor, and commerce, these places may not be able to offer a safe place for free thought and internal exploration. As ever, it is the combined effect of a variety of talents that creates the greater sum. With so many factors and parties at play, maintaining a sense of balance is an ongoing goal.

Today we are happy to visit this arts space via the camera work of photographer Lluis Olive Bulbena, who we thank for sharing his images with BSA readers.

Miquel Wert. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

SM172. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Ant Carver. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

MAR. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Tim Marsh. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Vassilis Rebelos. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

OneTruth Bros. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Oxalien . Konair. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

Juanjo Surace. Nau Bostik, Barcelona. (photo LluÍs Olivé Bulbena)

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