Maria Llovet: “Barcelona has many different realities, it's many Barcelonas”

Born in Barcelona, she is a comic book writer and illustrator and defines herself as a “lover of cinema and the fashion world”. Maria Llovet is undoubtedly a multidisciplinary artist, author of four graphic novels published in various European countries and in the American comic market, who also works on various illustration projects. Her style finds its roots in Japanese manga, mixing with strokes of European art and influences from the fashion and film industries. And now, with her urban art mural located at Enamorats Street, 40, she participates in the NN Wallery project to show us “her favorite Barcelona”.

When and how did your interest in drawing and the comic world begin?
As children, we all draw and then, over time for different reasons, most kids set it aside. In my case, I simply never stopped; I have always drawn and written my own stories or tales. I think it was influenced by the fact that both my mother and my grandfather drew, so drawing was something present in the adult world around me.
As for comics, it was somewhat the same, my parents had Asterix and Tintin and they took me to the comic fair when I was little. Then manga came along and there was no need for them to take me anymore, I went on my own, haha!

For a contemporary comic artist, what is the experience of participating in an urban art project like NN Wallery like?
Very interesting, I had been wanting to participate in something like this for a while. Norma Editorial contacted me to propose it and, as I said, I was very keen to do something in this direction, so it was a great joy! The guidelines were the theme: Barcelona, and that the tones used were in the range of greens. From there, total freedom.

What can we find on the brick wall at Enamorats, 40?My idea was to showcase the most emblematic elements of modernist architecture, as well as characteristic features of the city, accompanied by female figures and with the presence of the four elements, emphasizing the sea and the sky.
Some of the elements that appear are various tiles typical of the streets of Barcelona, the street lamps of Ferran street, the roof and balcony of Casa Batlló, the stained glass of La Boqueria, the stained glass ceiling of the Palau de la Música, the palm trees of Plaça Reial, the dragon of Park Güell, or the spires of the Sagrada Família.
Does your style find its roots in Japanese comics with influences from European art and the world of fashion and cinema, and can we see this mix in your work at Enamorats?Partly yes, because it is in everything I do, whether it is more clearly or less, it is something that is already in the DNA of each person's style. I find it very interesting to give the same concept to different artists and see the variety of such different results that can emerge, that's the real charm.

How did you experience the process of creating your work on Enamorats street?
I had never worked in such a large format before. It was necessary to divide it into sections and look for a concept that would bring the whole piece together.
Although my style is nothing like it, I had in mind the iconic work of Mariscal's BAR-CEL-ONA, of which I had a t-shirt when I was a girl, by the way. This piece and the idea of the sea being important to the city made me think of the four elements as a cohesive theme throughout the image, and then to place the most distinctive elements of the city and so on.
As a curious note, the part of the girl with the dragon from Park Güell is inspired by a photo I have from when I was very little with my father holding me so I could touch the dragon.

Iconic buildings, the most modernist Barcelona, and even a “self-portrait”, did you have a clear idea from the beginning of what you wanted to depict?
Not entirely clear, but I realized quite quickly where I had to go with the idea because this is my favorite Barcelona.

What surprised you the most about the project?
I don't know about surprised, but what I liked the most was portraying Barcelona, which is my city, because it was like reconnecting with the love I feel for it and paying tribute to it.

And when you saw your finished mural...
It was very exciting! I would have liked to see how they painted it, Berok and his team did a great job!

How do you experience the temporality of the NN Wallery construction walls?
I like the idea of ephemeral art, and besides, the original illustration is always there to remember it, which, by the way, is digital like almost everything I do, so it doesn't really exist either. I'm used to not having my physical work beyond print reproduction, so in a way, we could say that everything I do is ephemeral. But like life itself, right?

Is NN Wallery's mission to improve the urban environment for city dwellers achieved?
I really like these kinds of things, I prefer to see a painted mural of whatever, rather than just a metal fence, haha! Even if it only lasts a while, it's an incentive, or that's how I see it.

How has your perception of urban art changed with this project?
It has changed in that I had never participated in anything like this, and I would definitely repeat it without hesitation because I have loved it. I even fantasize about being able to encourage myself to paint something myself in the future! But smaller, huh, because I have a bad neck! hahaha!

For you, Barcelona is…
Like any city, Barcelona has many different realities, it's many Barcelonas. And not all of them are beautiful or pleasant. But I always prefer to look at what is good, and I think the cultural and artistic heritage we have is wonderful.

As someone who works hard for the international market, do you think Barcelona is a city that appreciates art in general, and urban art in particular?
I think so, although it may be that the current scene is a bit more distorted than it used to be. As for urban art, it gives me the impression that it is on the rise. If you walk through the streets of the center, it is very common to find walls full of drawings, stickers, and graffiti of all kinds, sometimes ephemeral murals are created that are really beautiful. The next day you pass by, it's either gone or has changed, so it has a lot of charm.

What is Maria Llovet currently working on?
Right now, I am working on the second part of Faithless, a comic scripted by Brian Azzarello that is published in the United States, and I am preparing my next work as a complete author, also for the American market.
In between, I combine some illustration work, and I try to organize my ideas for new projects in the future.

If you want to discover all the works of the artists from NN Wallery, the urban art project launched by the Núñez i Navarro Group in collaboration with Norma Editorial, you can visit our website.