64. PLAGAS / Valencia, Spain

1.Valencia, como tantas otras ciudades, esta sufriendo las consecuencias de la turistificación de algunos barrios. Son muchos los turistas expres que llegan en manadas a consumir la ciudad.

2. Como parte de la festivilizacion de las ciudades, algunos espontaneos han creado visitas guiadas a los murales y graffitis de la ciudad. Igual que está sucediendo en otros sectores, la cultura de barrio desestima los habitantes locales, seducida por la aparente rentabilidad de un turismo creciente. Pan para hoy, hambre para mañana.

3. Ante tales evidencias, igual es interesante considerar a los turistas como un público objetivo creciente para la pintura en la calle. ¿Porqué entonces no utilizar abiertamente estas pinturas para anunciar y publicitar las incontables cualidades de la ciudad en la que acaban de aterrizar? La pintura al servicio de la ciudad y de sus “nuevos” habitantes.

Cuidado con las plagas.

1.Valencia, like so many other cities, is suffering the consequences of turistification. There are many tourists who arrive in droves to consume the city;

2. As part of the festivilization of the cities, some spontaneos have created street art guided visits to discover the murals and graffiti of the city. As is happening in other sectors, neighborhood culture disparages local habitants, seduced by the apparent profitability of growing tourism. Bread for today, hunger for tomorrow.

3. Given such evidence, it´s equally interesting to consider tourists as a growing target audience for street painting. So, why don´t use openly these paintings to announce and publicize the incontambles qualities of the city in which they just landed? Painting at the service of the city and its inhabitants.

Beware of pests.

66. RANDOM PROMENADE / Panjim, India

On my last week around Panjim, I profit to walk around the area doing some random murals. Taking inspiration from whatever I found on my path.

1. GRAFFITI YOGA

South India is a great place to get introduced to YOGA. I´ve tried to practice it on a little “school”, just in front this wall. My friendly yoga teacher used to tell me that “yoga is not only beautifull aerobic poses, but a way to learn how to live and a way to learn how to die.” He introduce me on different pranayama (breathing) techniques and on how to use the hand to count each breathing and let the head go over. He invites me to practice those techniques on my everyday life, so I tryed to apply those techniques on this mural, in front of his school.  

2. WATERMELON RAIN

It´s so easy to found watermelon juice in Panjim. I used to drink it every day. It´s so tasty and sweet that it helps a lot to survive on the warmest days. Talking with some indian guy, he told me that 95% from watermelon is water. Thah´s why his name. What if next monsoon rains came full of watermelons? Ok, thats not the best idea. Ouch!

3. MOTO TAXI

This wall was painted by a local artist some time before. Over the years the moss had deteriorated the wall so the painting has almost disappeared. I decided to keep his moto idea on this wall and get tribute to this artist. I just added some more people on the moto as I ´ve seen it on Panjim streets.

4. BUS STOP

Bus stops on “rich” countries are used as toxic banners that usually sell luxury and arrogant products disguised on fashion and impossible beauty. Most of those products are made or manipulated in “poor” countries where raw materials and manpower are easly exploited.It could be more honest to show just the raw material as it is. This bus stop is located ahead of Mandovi mouth river, in Panjim. A place where oysters can be easily found.

67. BREAKING NEWS / Panjim, India

I spend almost one month in Panjim. Every morning, with my breakfast, I get used to read different local newspapers (The Navhind Times, O Heraldo, The Goan,…). I get addicted to search for strange local news. So I decide to bring some of them to Panjim streets. It´s nice to see that a lot of people recognise those news on the walls and get surprised because they just arrived from read those images on the newspaper. Magic happens. : )

1. WILD CAT TAMED / O HERALDO / 25 NOV 201605lweb 05iweb 05kweb05jweb

2. DEMONETISATION / THE NAVHIND TIMES / 4 DEC 201610fweb 10b

68. FREE PAINTING / Panjim, India

Trying to get involved in Panjim community, I decided to get a job there. I bought some brushes and good paint… and started walking on the streets offering my skills as a professional painter. In order to promote myself and start getting good jobs I decided to offer my services for free. I put my hands and my brushes. They put their wall and their ideas. Perfect job for an obedient alienated worker with lacks of creativity and a nice therapy to move away bad vibes from street art dogma. God save the muralists!

1. Ms. Shiwadatta.

First time I´d visit Ms. Shiwadatta, I was impressed that her shop was almost empty. She had just some sweets on pots and few old notebooks to sell. Ms. Shiwadatta lost his husband around 10 years before. he was the owner of this shop where he used to repair old damaged furniture. When Mr. Siwadatta died, Ms. Shivadatta get alone and very sad. She decided to keep her husband´s shop and wait for him till the death.

Ms. Shiwadatta ask me to paint the image of Mr. Shiwadatta, so she will feel that he still there to accompanny his loneliness.

2. Keymakers family shop

Kiran works in a family business with his father, making keys. His grandfather worked on it and the father of his grandfather too. They own the biggest keys makers studio in all Panjim, although if they are in a small place. Kiran told me that they don´t need a bigger place to do their jobs.Kiran asks me to paint a big old key on their facade. Not because they build big keys, but just because they are a big bussiness although if their local is a small one.

3. Biggest Veghi-Talhi in Panjim

Veghi-Talhi is a typical vegetarian dish from south India. The owner of “Hotel Cafe Prasao” restaurant ask me to paint a big “Veghi Talhi” on their facade. He was proud of it.”We don´t have the best Veghi-Talhi in town, but probably the biggest one. No one will die for hunger on my restaurant”

4. Stamp vendor and Dental Clinic

Two women share space on a small local on the main road in Panjim. Naila sells stamps. Shaili is a Dental Doctor. Stamps sell is announced in a beautiful advertisement on the facade, but Dental Clinic indication is not so visible. They ask me to paint some teeth on the side of the wall to reach a bigger audience. I think that´s a good idea. 

5. Wheel painted

The wall of this Panjim Garage was really damaged. The owner asks me to paint something. When I ask him about what to paint he told me to paint “just wheel”. Sounds a good idea for a garage. After finishing, he was surprised about my painting and I realise that my English was not so good, that I misunderstood him. What he asked me was to paint “just well”. Anyway, he was happy that the wheel was well painted. I get constantly confused with English langage.

6. Smaller Veghi-Talhi in town

Panjim is a small town. After a few days, a lot of people knew my new job and I´ve received a lot of non paid commissions. Close to the first restaurant, there is another restaurant that also sells Veghi-Talhi. They were jealous of its neighbors. They ask me to paint same painting. They  just don´t have a bif facade to do it, so I tried to do my best. The owner was happy to say that maybe they don´t offer bigger Veghi-Talhi in town, but they are proud to be honest with what they announce. The dish you can see on our facade is the same size as the one you can buy in.

… by the way, he asks me to paint some more plants to the side. Looks more tropical now!

7. The candelabrum shop

Fatima recently opened a candelabrum shop with his husband. They import beautiful candelabrums from Turkey and sell them on good prices to local people. There is not a similar shop in Panjim. Fatima was convinced that this will be a successfull business. Indian people love shiny things.

69. TROPICAL MARY / Panjim, India

I spend last december in Panjim (Sud India) drinking fruit juices and enjoying spicy tropical winter. After several meetings with people, listening beautifull stories and learning nice tricks from locals, I ´d started to paint some little walls. Thanks Ketaki, Anuj, Riyas…and others for those lovely days.

(more images to come on the next days)