Tiny Torrefarrera, A Locally Sourced Mural Festival in NorthEast Spain

It’s their 5th annual street art festival, Torrefarrera, although you may more accurately call it a mural festival. For a small village of less than 5,000, they have about 40 murals now, and an interactive map online to help you find them, even fund them if you like. Deeply rooted in history and regional pride this northern town is convenient to the A-2 motorway which connects Barcelona and Zaragoza.

Nauni Dank. “Boy or Girl?.. It doesn’t matter!!” Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

A municipality in the province of Lleida and an autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, their festival has been drawing people out into the street and into the community in a way that appears to be gratifying to many in the community. They even frame it as an inclusive competition to garner most votes for favorite and present awards at a public ceremony. Sponsored by the municipality, local institutions, and a paint company, you’re unlikely to find transgressive, or even disagreeable themes – but possibly educational.

Nauni Dank. “Boy or Girl?.. It doesn’t matter!!” Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)

Photographer Lluís Olivé Bulbena took a drive a few hours north of his home recently to capture some of the new walls that went up during the September festival. Looks like he captured many of this years locally-sourced artistic participants who range from former graffiti writers to commercial artists, including Gasic Painter (from Tarragona), Dil (Lleida), Folk & Miedo (València and Alacant), Nauni 69 & Dank (Almeria), Txus Montejano (Lleida), and Saiko 134 (Terres de l’Ebre).

Nauni Dank. “Boy or Girl?.. It doesn’t matter!!” Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Dil. “Dance to life” Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Miedo 12 & Folk. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Miedo 12 & Folk. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Miedo 12 & Folk. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Txus Montejano. “We exist as long as we are remembered”. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Saiko. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Saiko. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
Saiko. Torrefarrera 5th Street Art Festival. Torrefarrera, Spain. (photo © Lluis Olive Bulbena)
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