Next 7th June 2020, Pinta Malasaña street art festival will be back in town!
A multitudinous urban art event that brings colorful decorations to Madrid’s most bohemian and chic district.
Let’s review some key aspects for a better understanding of this popular street art experience in Madrid:
- Who’s behind #PintaMalasaña?
- Awarded street art artists from previous editions
- Artworks observed since 2016
Why is the event Pinta Malasaña possible?
It’s thanks to several private, public associations, an artistic organizations that the street art scene in Madrid is increasing around Universidad neighborhood.
It is sustained by sponsorships from companies and and permissions granted by local businesses.
Artists contributions
Pinta Malasaña organizators open artistic submissions for artists from all over the world who are interested in painting urban graffiti art in Madrid.
As an artist, you have to submit your portfolio and sketch for the festival.
Once the deadline approaches, the committee in charge of the curatorial process select all the artists participating.
You should know that there is no economical compensation, but the opportunity to exhibit your skills and artworks in an event with thousands of attendees.
What’s the other part of the project?
Local chamber of commerce
Bars, restaurants, vintage clothes and other type of business owners allow the artists to paint in their metal shutters or facades.
Thanks to Liquitex, a graffiti shop in Madrid, artists receive spray cans, markers, brushes, masking tape and any other materials they may need. Products are worth 150€, but some artists mention that that amount is not enough to cover all the expenses.
Who are the awarded artists from previous Pinta Malasaña editions?
The jury is formed by a member of Madrid street art project, the previous year’s winner and a member of Pinta Malasaña organization desk.
Pinta Malasaña 2019 winners: NSN997
Madrid based crew NSN997 were 2019 winners.
They are italians of origin, signing their work as Neo-napoletano creativo crew. Michelangelo presented an artwork which follows his inspirations from other artists, and the difference existing between graffiti and street art.
NSN997 painted two shaking hands, which were later used as a GIFT shared on instagram.
It received the interest and curiosity of pedestrians, who thought that they were vandalizing their own artwork, as they were painting over and over again.
2017’s winner artist: Sue975
Sue975 is an abstract artist working with urban platforms.
He received the award for an artwork elaborated over 3 concrete benches on Plaza San Ildefonso.
According to his words “people at first thought that it was a common performance, but when they saw the glow colored spray paint, they liked it”.
His performances might be observed in the public areas as it is the place where he feels more comfortable with.
The first years’ edition award: Chincheta
This young female artist is both interested in the street art and graffiti.
For her, it was shocking to paint over the metal shutter that she was assigned, as other graffiti writer painted first, so she requested to paint over another surface and the organization accepted.
Barbara opened a general discussion on how the city council should decriminalize graffiti.
Did you know that the actual fines for graffiti tagging could go from 300€ to 6,000€?
Which artworks could we expect for next year’s edition?
The urban art industry features many techniques and artists using different resources. Among them:
- Tape art
- Tile artworks
- Spray cans
– Stencils
Many artists choose these plastic or paper layers to create their works.
We observed how Dloio created Amy Winehouse’s face or how Por Favor used propaganda style messages to discuss about the society’s current problems.
Repetition that could be observed in an artistic way.
What do you think?
– Pure graffiti art
The war exists and we could observe how Pinta Malasaña is covered with new tags and throw-ups during the same night that the event takes place.
Some writers have obtained certain reputation -and respect- along the years, but participating in this kind of street art festivals is still penalized within the graffiti culture.
Spray paint served for both commercial and non-lucrative projects.
– 3D installations
- Yarn bombing
- Little sculptures
- Tile artworks
Art Madrid’s main purpose is to attract people’s attention, and that’s the idea of local artists working with these visual techniques.
Whether in corners, hidden spaces or at Plaza Dos de Mayo these artworks always create an impact on the observer.
Cooltourspain’s opinion about Pinta Malasaña
We believe that this kind of events offer a unique opportunity to the local artistic scene.
Cross-selling takes place and there are event street art tours in Malasaña organized for that dates.
Leave a Reply