Love is in Barcelona! The urban art of our city is most committed to love
Barcelona is full of art! In addition to the vast architectural wealth that our city treasures, the great mix of cultures among those who are here, those who come, and those who are just passing through has led to an explosion of creativity and ingenuity in artists from various disciplines, bringing Barcelona to the level of London or Berlin.
As Valentine's Day approaches, we want to compile some of these urban art pieces in Barcelona that are themed around love. Some are permanent and can be enjoyed at any time. Others are temporary, and all that remains of them are thousands of photographs but no trace. In both cases, we review some of the most notable ones from recent years.
The first of them, and the most iconic, is the famous mural The World is Born with Each Kiss, created by the photographer Joan Fontcuberta in the Isidre Nonell square of the Ciutat Vella district, next to the Architects' College and just a stone's throw from the Barcelona Cathedral. The mosaic is made up of 4,000 tiles with images provided by the citizens of Barcelona, and when strategically assembled, they form the mural of a kiss. This adaptation of the famous Dali's Lincoln consists of 80 columns of tiles and about 50 rows, in a design that stretches almost four meters high and eight meters across, covering an area of more than 30 m2. To create the emblematic scene, the images had to be chosen according to their color and density.
The work is part of the commemorative events of the Tricentennial of 1714. However, the author of the mural wanted to approach his work from a positive perspective: “I wanted to avoid a wall of lamentations, and for it to be a wall of joy, an optimistic proposal for the future," he said at the time. Although the mural was to be ephemeral during the celebrations of the Tricentennial, its enormous success and acceptance among the citizens have made it a permanent work fully integrated into the Ciutat Vella district. In addition to being a minor icon for the city on par with others such as Botero's Cat or Mariscal's Shrimp, this work inaugurated in 2014 helped to recover a location like Isidre Nonell square, hidden in a neglected nook of the Gothic quarter, and thanks to this piece of art, it has served to revitalize the area and give it a second life.
While it's already pleasant to view the mural in perspective, considering the overall optics of the scene, it's even more astonishing to approach the wall and observe the detail of each of the 4,000 photos, all different and heterogeneous, where we can find all kinds of scenes: landscapes, celebrations, jumps, kisses, flags, sports, children on sleds or babies sleeping. In short, a whole amalgam of images that will keep you entertained for a while... until someone notifies you that you're obstructing their photo of the mural.
For displays of love, those immortalized by the Italian artist TvBoy, who has managed to 'reconcile' with a passionate kiss of love declared rivals from sports and politics: Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Rajoy and Puigdemont, Guardiola and Mourinho... There is no enemy that can resist the influence of love infused by this Italian artist who has been based in our city for over a decade. With his urban pop art inspired by Andy Warhol and his image treatment, he has made his works go viral. This has led him to exhibit in galleries in Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, the United States, or Lebanon.
The most famous was the one briefly displayed on a wall of the gas station on Paseo de Gracia, where he drew, life-size, Messi and Ronaldo sharing a passionate kiss. The proportions are so realistic that the Argentine star has to stand on tiptoes to reciprocate the kiss thrown at him by the Portuguese from above. Although the work was very well received in the city, and even made the sports section in several news broadcasts, TVBoy lost his usual showcase, as the old gas station was dismantled shortly after.
Following the success of Messi and CR7, the next to seal their reconciliation with a kiss were Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, who once again faced each other as archenemies in Manchester, managing, respectively, the two main teams of the city. Therefore, with the backdrop of the 2018 Sant Jordi festival, TVBoy once again made his mark on the streets of Barcelona and yet again it was on Paseo de Gracia with another passionate kiss between Mourinho and Guardiola, who even wore his traditional yellow ribbon.
He had done the same months earlier with Rajoy and Puigdemont, in one of his most ephemeral creations. It lasted less than 12 hours on display at the intersection of Bisbe Street and Sant Jaume Square. And for this Italian artist, there is no such thing as impossible love.
Less torrid, but equally heartfelt are the messages that our next protagonists leave around the city in canned food tins. Or rather, around Raval, as it is their preferred area of action, though not the only one. Their thing is love and recycling in equal measure, since they specialize in working with reclaimed containers: soda cans, fried tomato jars, olives... it doesn't matter. They give them a second life and brighten your morning on the way to work. Such is their welcome in our city that they have their own Instagram profile (@me_lata) and a legion of fans behind them. More than 11,000 people follow their daily messages of love spread throughout the city.
Due to their growing popularity, they have already given several interviews, although their identity remains a mystery to the vast majority. Thanks to these appearances, we have been able to learn that behind this canned love there is a boy and a girl who are a couple. As it could not be otherwise, love has been present in their lives since they met on a Sant Jordi's day, selling roses for an NGO. From that moment, a relationship and an artistic initiative full of love on consumed containers were born: “my heart cans for you”, “love is in the air”, “only love can save the world” or “nothing is worth what you are worth” are some of the feel-good slogans they have created with their own hands.
Here are just a few examples of how love makes its way among us day by day, as we walk through Barcelona. All we need is to stay alert to its signs. Perhaps that way we'll be a little happier, even though, just like art, this feeling may be fleeting.
