Parees Festival Brings Asturias’ Past and Future to Life

In its seventh year, the Parees Festival continues to enrich Oviedo’s urban landscape, adding three new murals and bringing its collection to a remarkable total of forty works. Local, national, and international artists have left their mark on the city through this contextual muralism festival, each piece echoing the rich cultural fabric of Asturias. Organized by the Oviedo Municipal Foundation of Culture, Parees stands out as one of the few mural festivals that authentically reflects the city’s community, history, and environment—almost as if the walls are narrating the soul of Oviedo.

This year’s festival underscores its commitment to Asturian identity by paying tribute to regional symbols such as Faro pottery, the iconic wooden clog (madreña), and the apple, deeply ingrained in local tradition. Through a careful process of artistic mediation led by the festival’s curators and the involvement of the Asturian community, Parees has once again created art that dialogues with its surroundings. As festival director Eduard Crespo puts it, “Parees is not just an encounter with urban art; it is a celebration of our roots, a window to the past, and a projection toward the future of Asturias. This is the true essence of the festival: dialogue, reflection, and the shared celebration of our identity.”

Parees: A Contextual and Participatory Approach

What sets the Parees Festival apart is its commitment to creating “contextualized murals” that go beyond decoration. Every mural results from a collaborative process involving the community, artists, and artistic mediators like the Raposu Roxu team. This participatory model allows murals to be authentic expressions of the local environment, giving residents a voice and capturing the region’s unique characteristics. With its focus on quality over quantity, Parees invests in each work’s durability and cultural significance, ensuring that each wall becomes a lasting visual conversation piece.

The festival extends this sense of dialogue and reflection beyond the walls, inviting residents and visitors to explore the murals through sustainable mobility initiatives like bicycle routes. In this way, Parees adds layers to Oviedo’s streetscape and encourages a thoughtful, environmentally friendly exploration of urban art.

Mapecoo: Reflection on the Future of the Asturian Apple
María Peña, known artistically as Mapecoo, brings attention to the uncertain future of Asturias’ emblematic apple, particularly those with a Denomination of Origin. In her mural, Peña visually contrasts traditional apple cultivation with elements of the digital age, possibly addressing the tension between preserving this essential regional crop and the fast-changing world around it. A vibrant palette and cultural symbolism; is it a tribute or a call to action?

Marat Morik: The Legacy of Faro
Marat ‘Morik’ Danilyan, an artist recognized for his dynamic compositions and reflections on cultural heritage, immortalizes the centuries-old pottery tradition of Faro in his mural on Luis Álvarez Fueyo Street. The artwork captures the essence of this ancient craft, urging passersby to acknowledge, celebrate, and hopefully preserve the deep cultural legacy that Faro pottery represents for Asturias.

Marat Morik: Tribute to the Asturian Madreña
On the same street, Morik pays homage to the madreña—a symbol of Asturian craftsmanship and heritage. Through this mural, he is preserving memories of the madreñera trade while sparking a reflection on the importance of sustaining traditional skills in the face of generational change. The piece resonates with Morik’s signature style, blending realism and not so subtle social commentary.

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