Similarly to what we talk in this other article about graffiti and urban art, Livensa Living, one of the main owners and operators of student residences and flexible accommodations in Spain and Portugal, is strongly committed to mural art and makes it one of its differentiating elements. In addition to previous artworks, they have made several mural art decorations in the last year, continuing with their excellent positioning within the accommodation sector for long, medium and short stays.
Nevertheless, if you are thinking of staying at one of their facilities, there are several options to choose. On the one hand, they have flexible accommodations designed to meet the needs of travelers visiting Madrid, Bilbao, Valencia, San Sebastian or Malaga. On the other side, they have student residences, featuring an inspiring, dynamic, and multicultural atmosphere, where students at university level will build lifelong memories.
What other Spanish populations have joined the urban art bandwagon pulled by Livensa Living?
Please note that we will introduce you to the work of some of the most emerging and long-established artists in the national art scene. You’ll read through the following paragraphs, the 2024 artworks painted by Diego Vicente, Misterpiro, Alberto Montes and Iñigo Sesma.
In the neighboring country, the rear façade of one Livensa Living buildings has been signed by the Belgian artist called IOTA. In this sense, these creators have contributed to decorate the facades of buildings which count with more than 8,200 beds available to students, professionals or travelers like you.
Misterpiro’s muralism arrives to Málaga Feria.
“Spaces & Between” is the name given by Piro Sánchez to a mural painted along this charming Mediterranean city. It represents the relationship between individuals and their surrounding environment through the inclusion of abstract expressionist components. The two artworks painted measure 23 meters long and 3.30 meters high each, and they illustrate a pictorial combination created from intense subjectivity, trying to establish creative links with the setting to evoke a variety of emotions and memories.
In the same vein, Cooltourspain shares the artist’s opinion, “art must be present in all aspects of life, in order to go beyond the marked limits”.
Where can you see this work? Very close to the FYCMA, or the Teatinos campus at the University of Malaga. In addition, as a curious fact, we could tell you that the artist used more than 40 different tones of paint, thanks to 30 liters of material. Moreover, these artworks were painted on the facades of two different buildings located at the complex that Livensa Living owns in Malaga, flexliving and a student residence.
Alberto Montes reinterprets La Cartuja’s landscape in Granada
The wall painted by this Sevillian artist represents the autochthonous flora, such as the Clypeola Eriocarpa, the pomegranate, or a vegetable called Borraja. The vegetation is visible, but the invisible part of the artwork aims to transmit the feelings associated to Granada’s Mediterranean landscape. The artist also wants to establish a dialogue between the mural and the area’s geography.
Livensa Living Granada Cartuja is an addition to the companies’ commitment with Andalusia, providing students with another accommodation opportunity in the heart of the Cartuja campus. On top of that, visitors will get a perfect Sierra Nevada panoramic view. Could you ask for more?
Paraphrasing Montes, the viewer should observe the work throughout the design and its colors, where green, orange and ochre shades clearly outstand. Furthermore, the mural’s integration within Granada’s architectural context is done in a natural and harmonious way.
The purpose of the work is none other than encouraging reflection and user experience, serving also as an aesthetic space for the social students’ meetups.
Donostia’s urban art transformation by Iñigo Sesma and Livensa Living
“Jolastokia” is a mural artwork developed in San Sebastián, on a dynamic space full of life. It tells the story of one of the most important coastal cities along the Cantabric Sea, motivating the public to think about their role in it, in relation to the urban landscape.
The term means “playground” in Basque language, and Iñigo’s description could not have been better chosen. It’s one of the places at Livensa Living Studios built to set aside for rest and play.
The building in Portuetxe is close to the main campuses of the UPV/EHU, Tecnun and Musikene. In this sense, Sesma’s painting captures the emblematic Monte Igueldo entertainment area, and combines it with the silhouette of a youthful figure, which suggests a creative energy that is an integral part of the city, establishing a dialogue between the past and the future.
Through a colour range that reflects the changing tones of Donostia’s sky, the mural captures the essence of a city that breathes history but lives with a contemporary rhythm; from the sea’s deep blues to the sunset’s warm oranges in the old town. The amusement park’s playfulness also merges with the joy of several characteristic elements in Donostia, such as a red line that crosses the entire composition and the red carpet that resembles to the San Sebastian film festival.
Diego Vicente fills with color Livensa Living’s facade in Aravaca (Madrid)
Lastly, you should pay attention to “Sincronía-1”. That’s the name of the artwork created by a 33-year-old artist from Zaragoza, who was part of the Boa Mistura crew. It perfectly reflects Livensa’s vision of university life and the community that students create in its centers: synergies, encounters and a clear commitment to residents and visitors.
According to Livensa Living spokesperson, “urban art revitalizes these residential spaces, while helping to create a positive impact in the communities where they’re painted; both the neighborhood where the residence is at, and the city in which it is located.”
More specifically, Diego painted with color the 40m2 of wall that faces Avenida del Talgo, close to Aravaca train station and near Somosaguas and Moncloa campuses. For your information, it took him more than 40 hours to paint, and required the use of an electric elevator (lifting platform), and involved over 35 liters of plastic paint and spray cans.
The work dynamically and abstractly represents the Spanish capital city as a place to meetup and create connections with others, making references to Casa de Campo green area, Monte del Pardo and Madrid’ ‘s skyline through a wide palette of blues, yellows and reds.
What is Livensa Living’s commitment to urban art in Portugal?
Lisboa Cidade residence, located in Bairro do Rego, has a new approach to urban art. In addition to the Ginkgo Balboa petals, made with aluminum sheets by Atelier Contencioso, the work of the Belgian artist IOTA, created to celebrate the relationship between the Wallonia-Brussels region and the Portuguese capital, is now added to the rear façade.
The artwork highlights the intense sea’s blue color, which symbolizes water, and together with the stone, constitutes the main element of this creation close to the University of Lisbon, ISCTE, Nova FCSH or UCP, among others.
For the information of the university students reading this article, the artist IOTA painted it during the culmination of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union. On top of that, the two human figures, which are incorporated in the mural, represent the union between the two regions (Lisbon and Brussels) through art and culture, with the intention of motivating future generations of young people.
This work of art is added to the other 5 that Livensa already has in its buildings in Portugal, by Mr.Dheo, Pariz One, Bordalo II and the aforementioned intervention by Atelier Contencioso.
Cooltourspain’s opinion about Livensa Living’s street art
We love observing that one of the biggest companies around the world, specialized in university residences for students, cares that much about the street art industry, as is the case of Livensa Living.
If we had the opportunity to go back in time to one of the most beautiful moments in our lives, we would undoubtedly live at one of their studios, either shared or individual, to experience countless unforgettable moments with friends, surrounded by murals like those painted by the artists mentioned in this article.
What about you? Which of all the creations would you choose, and in which building would you like to stay in?
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