Sixteen urban artworks painted in Spain are competing for the Street Art Cities 2024 award, which recognises the best urban mural in the world. Last year, the accolade was won by a mural in Fene (A Coruña) created by the artist Sfhir, a 45-year-old from Madrid who has been painting in various cities worldwide since 1995.
This year, Fene once again serves as the host location for one of the nominated murals. This piece, created by the Chilean Cristóbal Espinosa (known as Cristóbal Persona), is named ‘Charanguista Andino’ and depicts an indigenous musician playing a small guitar.
The municipalities nominated include Aliseda and Arroyomolinos de Vera (Cáceres); Alcantarilla and San Javier (Murcia); Baena (Córdoba); Mollet del Vallés and Granollers (Barcelona); Burgos and La Bañeza (León); Arinaga (Gran Canaria); Linares (Jaén); Azagra (Navarra); Guardo (Palencia); and Calafell and L’Ametlla de Mar (Tarragona), the latter featuring two works.
Artist from Tenerife
The work from the Canary Islands in contention for this honour has been crafted by the Tenerife artist Erik Air. He has shared on his social media that this mural, titled ‘Energy’, “depicts the convergence of two children towards an energy source, which only activates when they are together. The faces at the edges gain colour as they approach the centre of the mural, where the main action unfolds. The expressions also shift: as they draw nearer, the looks of uncertainty and doubt evolve into expressions of serenity and fulfillment.”
The artist beside the mural. /streetartcities.com
“I inscribed the word ENERGY in the upper left corner, defining it as the capacity of bodies to perform work based on their constitution (internal energy). Additionally, I included its origins ‘energeia’ and ‘energós’. In the upper right, I added two words in Latin: MOTIO, meaning movement, and MUTATIO, meaning change. The separate children represent that internal polarity, even socially, which we experience constantly today. Only when we balance our energy with kindness and love can we activate our true essence. That essence is genuine human energy: love. The original energy that drives us and instigates change,” he elaborates regarding his creation.
This marks the second consecutive year that a work by Erik Air is nominated for the best mural in the world.
Urban artistry
Many of these murals have been created as part of urban art festivals, such as the Perla Mural Fest in Fene, the EFIMUR Urban Art Festival in L’Ametlla de Mar, and the Pintalis Fest in Mollet del Vallés.
The themes they portray range from the recognition of local history, like the ancient gold earring depicted in Aliseda, an archaeological discovery that has become a symbol of the town, to natural elements exemplified by the poppy painted in Azagra, and even contemplative reflections, such as the hourglass in La Bañeza, representing the balance between life and death.
One artist, Dase (Mollet del Vallès, 1991), has two murals nominated: one in Granollers and another in Mollet del Vallés.
In addition to these 16 murals, there are two other works painted in Spain vying for recognition, as they have been shortlisted in the ‘Expert Focus’ and ‘Artist’s Choice’ categories.
In the first category is a mural created in Calafell (Tarragona) by Nil Safont, depicting a young woman holding a photograph of her ancestors. The second features a painting from Cheste by Tirso Paz (known as Bublegum), portraying an “ornamental ocelot” that acts as the “guardian of the street.”
The nominated murals are selected by an expert panel consisting of street art professionals, artists, academics, journalists, and community leaders from across the globe.
Among the panel are Lars Pedersen, head of the Copenhagen Urban Art Institute; Amziane Abid, artistic director of the Boulogne-sur-Mer Street Art Festival in France; GazMac, director of Yardworks and graffiti expert since 1984; and the artist Vans the Omega.
Each month, the jury chooses 100 artworks discovered by themselves or suggested to them. Following this, these murals are shared on Instagram, and interaction figures are gathered through an algorithm, calculating a score based on factors such as views, votes, and engagement.
Ultimately, the community of “hunters” will have the final say, selecting their preferred artworks from the list to determine the final nominees.
Those keen to vote can select their favourite piece at streetartcities.com. Voting will conclude on January 25, the date when the winners will be revealed.
