All posts tagged: B-Murals Barcelona

BLU: Tauró Del Carmel Mural – Reinterpreted

BLU: Tauró Del Carmel Mural – Reinterpreted

BLU re-creates his mural from 2009 and gives the neighborhood of Carmel, in Barcelona, Spain reasons to be overwhelmed with joy.

The internationally known and respected muralist, street artist, and activist, Italian painter BLU worked intensely for one month with the producer, B-Murals to recreate this 70 meter mural (about 230 feet). The new Tauró del Carmel neighborhood mural is on the same wall and street where he had painted the original back in 2009 on calle Santuari.

It is a series of sharks, the first one pure capitalism, the second the bastardized evil form of war profiteering that currently rules the nation, the third the impact of both on the body politic, the institutions, the formation of society, and the impact on the ecology. Blu retains integrity throughout, and this neighborhood appears rejuvenated.

BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)
BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Mural in progress with the scaffolding protected by mesh. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)

When the original mural had to be painted over by the municipality in 2001 for safety reasons due to the wall being in bad shape, the residents in the neighborhood were in disbelief when they found out that they had not only lost a monumental piece of art but also a well known and loved landmark instantly recognized by the locals as a point of reference, for directions or simply on a mutually agreed meeting spot.

Working together with the community, local authorities, and B-Murals, BLU began working on this project with purpose and intensity with the idea of giving his new Shark an interpretation that is both current, timely and of time.

BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)

As a starting point, BLU kept the original design, the shark with the Euro bill, a commentary on capitalism run amok, greed, banks and corporations ever hungry for more profits at any cost. From there, he proceeded to paint a colossal story with images about the most urgent, pressing and, topical issues affecting our world today: Wars, the military-industrial complex, the environment, the intensity of natural disasters made more dangerous and devastating by global warming, and the imminent dislocation of entire societies due to the degeneration of natural habitats and the lack of natural resources for these communities to continue living in their lands.

BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)

With this new mural by BLU, and many others produced by B-Murals under the Carmel Mossega Project, and in conjunction with the municipal authorities, the residents of Carmel will again find their attachment to this piece of art; they know that it belongs to them as all street art should be for the people.

BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)
BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)
BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)
BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Detail. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)
BLU. The original “Tauró del Carmel” (Blu (It.), 2009 – 2021). The municipality painted over the original mural in the Carmel neighborhood in Barcelona in preparation for the restoration of the mural. (photo © El Pais / Joan Sanchez)
(photo ©Jose Colon/Shooting)
BLU. “Tauró del Carmel 2023”. Carmel Mossega Project / B-Murals. Carmel neighborhood, Horta-Guinardó, Barcelona. (photo © Difusor / B-Murals)

An Initiative of: Dte. d’Horta-Guinardó i Pla de Barris


Design and production: Difusor / B-Murals

Artist/Muralist: Blu (@bluwalls)

B-Murlas wishes to extend a special shout-out of gratitude to their production assistant for this project: Julián Manzelli (@chudoma)

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Osona Artimur Festival in Spain. First Edition / Part II

Osona Artimur Festival in Spain. First Edition / Part II

Prats de Lluçanès, Manlleu, Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Sant Bartomeu del Grau, and Alpens

Here we have more examples of city meeting rural, traditional meeting Stylez, countryside meeting contemporary, local pride meeting international flavor. In part II of our report from October/November’s Osona Artimur Festival, photographer and street art/mural art expert Fer Alcalá observes that putting together a wide-spread event like this is complicated and rewarding, somewhat like managing the United Nations General Assembly every September.

Wedo Goas. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

“The fact is that looking for walls outside the big cities can be an alternative solution for artists and cultural managers due to the difficulties that can be found downtown Barcelona,” says Alcalá and colleague Laura Colomé in their description of the massive event. “The rules about architectural aesthetics, the shortage of legal walls and the strong rivalry make managing big events of this nature a very hard task to do.”

Wedo Goas. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Nonetheless, the community spirit and lust for communicating through art-in-the-streets show in the quality and range of works. The modern world may be awash with a sense of chaos, wonder, and mystery in ways we didn’t imagine; it’s precisely why we need to be outside talking about art with each other to contemplate and process the changes in the context of our collective history.

“Rural contexts become new places for researching, innovation, and promoting art,” they tell us. “It’s fair to say that Osona Artimur festival brings new horizons to art in the countryside of Catalunya and these five pioneer villages.”

Sergi Bastida. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Invited artists: Zoer, Ana Barriga, Satone, Nano4814, Luogo Comune, Isaac Cordal, Rosh,  Alberto Montes,  Jan Vallverdú, Marta Lapeña, Eloise Gillow
Artists selected by open call: Twee Muizen, Sergi Bastida, Wedo Goas
Artists working on participatory processes: Daniel Muñoz, Chu Doma,  Alessia Innocenti, Mateu Targa, Zosen

Sergi Bastida. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Sergi Bastida. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Mateu Targa. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Mateu Targa. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Mateu Targa. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Nano4814. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Nano4814. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Nano4814. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
ROSH. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
ROSH. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
ROSH. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
SatOne. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
SatOne. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
SatOne. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zoer. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zoer. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zoer. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zosen. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zosen. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zosen. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
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Osona Artimur Festival in Spain. First Edition / Part I

Osona Artimur Festival in Spain. First Edition / Part I

A 5-village mural program will be surely eclectic, to say the least. The first Osona Artimur Festival produced 19 of them, murals that is, and each speaks to the sensitivities of the modern era, an awareness of local history, and the unarticulated sensibilities of a multi-headed program here in the countryside just to the north of Barcelona. Curated by members and organizers at a pioneering urban art center called B-Murals, the quality of work and diversity of styles represent a fair survey of the international scene at the moment, with a decidedly local sabor.

Ana Barriga. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

With B-Murals bringing the community and educational roots to the project, the complex execution during this autumn was coordinated with the Department of Tourism of Osona and the Catalan company Transit Projects. Working closely with the five villages, they served as intermediaries between locals and the international artists who came to paint there from France, Germany, Argentina, Ireland, Italy, Chile,… and closer to home.

Ana Barriga. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

The towns of Prats de Lluçanès, Manlleu, Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Sant Bartomeu del Grau, and Alpens welcomed the artists. All participants were supported by an extensive production team, including assistants, runners, photographers, and film archivists. Here is our first of two postings from this part of Spain that features rivers, mountains, and beautiful landscapes.

Ana Barriga. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Enjoy Osona Artimur Festival.

Our special thanks to Fer Acala for sharing his images and observations about the event with us and BSA readers.

Invited artists: Zoer, Ana Barriga, Satone, Nano4814, Luogo Comune, Isaac Cordal, Rosh,  Alberto Montes,  Jan Vallverdú, Marta Lapeña, Eloise Gillow
Artists selected by open call: Twee Muizen, Sergi Bastida, Wedo Goas
Artists working on participatory processes: Daniel Muñoz, Chu Doma, Alessia Innocenti, Mateu Targa, Zosen

Alessia Innocenti. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Alessia Innocenti. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Alessia Innocenti. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Alberto Montes. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Alberto Montes. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Chu Doma. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Chu Doma. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Chu Doma. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Daniel Muñoz. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Daniel Muñoz. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Daniel Muñoz. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Isaac Cordal. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Isaac Cordal. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Isaac Cordal. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Eloise Gillow. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Eloise Gillow. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jan Vallverdú. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jan Vallverdú. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jan Vallverdú. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Marta Lapeña. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Marta Lapeña. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Marta Lapeña. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Luogo Comune. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Luogo Comune. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Luogo Comune. Osona Artimur Festival. B-Murals. Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
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Urban Art and Science, Twee Muizen in Barcelona

Urban Art and Science, Twee Muizen in Barcelona

Artist couple Twee Muizen (Two Mice) complete a new mural for a scientific environmental organization.

20 meters of the mural has just been completed that organizers say celebrates science, art, and the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in Barcelona, which is next Friday, February 11.

Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)

The center itself has a long name, so let’s get that out of the way first: Instituto de Diagnóstico Ambiental y Estudios del Agua (Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research), or IDAEA-CSIC for short.

Artist couple Twee Muizen integrated all of the ideas collected from an extended work session through a participatory process between IDAEA staff to decide what themes and symbols needed to be included in the multi-paneled work that welcomes visitors to the center.

Session to work on ideas for the mural with the staff IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)

“We had scientific, technical, administrative and maintenance staff,” involved in the process, says Alicia Arroyo, project coordinator. In collaboration with the urban art project called B-Murals and funded by the Barcelona City Council.

Staff from IDAEA participate in the execution of the ieas. IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)

Barcelona-based duo Twee Muizen (Cristina Barrientos and Denis Galocha) are now working professionally in their ninth year and are originally from Galicia. The two both grew up in towns near Santiago de Compostela surrounded by mountains, animals, and natural beauty. Full-time illustrators and doll makers with a workshop and gallery in Sant Pere, the two interpolated into this mural the IDAEA goals of integrating themes of natural resources, air, water, their molecular and chemical aspects, and the impact of human interactions with all these systems.

“This project arose from the need to raise awareness on the importance of the work and research we carry out at our center in a visual, approachable way and with an innovative format”, says Diana Blanco, coordinator of the project.

Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Detail. Barcelona, Spain. (photo courtesy of B-Murals)
Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)
Twee Muizen in collaboration with B-Murals and IDAEA. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © B-Murals/Fer Alcala)

To enjoy the mural in-person visit the IDAEA-CSIC facilities at c/Joan Obiols, 11. 08034, Barcelona.

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B-Murals Presents “TIME” – Franco Fasoli in Barcelona

B-Murals Presents “TIME” – Franco Fasoli in Barcelona

At a time when Barcelona has received criticism for allowing iconic murals to disappear, it is a joyful sight to witness street artist and muralist Jaz create a new iconic one after full immersion into the neighborhood of Trinidad Nova. Similarly, it is gratifying to see a contemporary painter creating something relevant and new for a community rather than creating banal niceties or, worse, using public space to sell a sneaker or brand.

Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)

Intended as part of a permanent dialogue between the neighborhood and artist, this clearly links to the people’s fighting spirit here, complete with pugnacious bulls, roaring boars, and rebels on motorcycles. The Argentinian consulted closely over a period of weeks with panels of leaders, circles of residents, experts, and historians in the square.

Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)

A coalition project under the auspices of B-Murals, Centro de Arte Urbano, and School of Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Heritage of Catalonia, Jaz integrated histories and aspirations into a triumphant, defiant, and uniquely expressive tableau worthy of a people. With his talents, the artist reflects the community and empowers it – honoring a TIME of the past while propelling its intentions of actualization into a TIME of the future…

Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
Franco Fasoli for Difusor/B-Murals. TIME project. Trinitat Nova, Barcelona. Spain. (photos © Fer Alcala)
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All Art is “B-Local”. Group Exhibition During Covid in Barcelona

All Art is “B-Local”. Group Exhibition During Covid in Barcelona

It’s a challenge for artists to find opportunity to show their work, but in an era where opportunities for artists are diminishing by the day, here’s a new group show mounted mid-pandemic in Barcelona.

B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

80 artists of many levels and styles are using the materials that they had handy when the first lockdown hit – cardboard, old canvases, frames, wood, paper. Each piece reflects the anxiety, fear, and hope of the artists – all expressed as they know best.

B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)

It’s good to see curators like Ana Manaia and Xavier Ballaz putting their heads together to create a show at a time like this one, named ‘B -L O C A L’. Certainly there can be no big party, but one by one, visitors can come to see the works and be reassured that art will continue to flourish in the time of Corona.

B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zane Prater. B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zane Prater. B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Zane Prater. B-Local. B-Murals. Center for Urban Arts. Barcelona, Spain. (photo © Fer Alcala)
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“Neo-Muralism” for TÀPIA in Spain

“Neo-Muralism” for TÀPIA in Spain

B-MURALS PRESENTS TÀPIA BY AXEL VOID

A Neo Muralist Movement. Is this what we’ll call it?

Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Artist/curator Axel Void is framing it this way when inviting 24 artists to Barcelona for TÀPIA (“walls” in Catalan). Figurative muralism also comes to mind as you look over these new walls of Nau Bostik.

Graffiti writers, Street Artists, contemporary artists: all of these participate in this impermanent show, each in their own expression of realism, and poetic realism, as long as we’re feeling like coining a term.

Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)

Traditionally in ‘street art’ these walls and spaces have presented themselves as vulnerable to the interventions of artist,” say organizers. “Blurring the edges of this physical, yet metaphorical division, between the idea of private and public.”

We’re pleased today to present original photos of the murals that were executed outdoors in conjunction with the exhibition.

Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Axel Void. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Jofre Oliveras. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)
Cerezo, Fafa, Pollo7. TÀPIA at Nau Bostik with B-Murals in Barcelona. 2019. (photo © Fer Alcala)

“Tapia” is currently on view at B-Murals in Barcelona. The exhibition ends February 29 2020. Click HERE for more information and to see the artworks in the exhibition.

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