Artist Duo Amazonas paints a picture of an era, Mieres 2022

The artist ‘Dúo Amazonas’ consist of Colombian Lina Castellanos and Argentinian Nati Andreoli. Together they have just painted an astonishing mural in Mieres (Asturias, north of Spain), mixing tradition and vanguardism to look into the future project, run and curated by RAPOSU ROXU, which is a participatory process involving the local community.

Contextual muralism has been the ‘leitmotiv’ inspiring the whole event following the premises settled in the region by street art festival Parees Fest.

The artistic duo chose a picture captured by local photographer ‘ALONSO’ in 1954 to reflect the future of Mieres by looking into the past. ‘Fiestas de San Xuan. Público en el Chacolin’, as the image is known, shows a group of adults and kids enjoying a puppet play in one of Mieres’ beautiful public spaces.

José Manuel Pérez Alonso’ ALONSO’ was one of the official photographers of the village and an EFE Agency correspondent during the last century.

“This pic is a portrait of an era. His enormous graphic archive is a chronicle of the area and navigates several decades. We are very proud that one of my dad’s pictures is inspiring this wall now.” Eli Alonso Alonso’s daughter

The contextual wall resulted in an intensely participatory process organised by the artistic mediation collective Raposu Roxu and supported by the City Council.

Firstly the creative process started on social media. Many Mieres neighbours were asked how they see their village shortly, a question full of hope that inspires the motto: ‘Tradition + Vanguardism = Future’.

The second step was meeting with several local students, challenging them to imagine how they would like public spaces (streets, parks, squares, schools). You can see some of the drawings resulting from the poll here.

Finally, Raposu Roxu gathered 20 people related to the history, the culture, the landscape and the society of the city to debate the future of Mieres. Duo Amazonas were in attendance, listening closely to the actual situation and the legacy of the place.

As a result, the artists chose Alonso’s photography as the best summary of everything experienced.

“The image means that there’s hope in Mieres, the willingness of going back to the simple things, the personal relationships and avoiding the exodus of the established population. The people portrayed are spectators from the past who look beyond the wall at what we do nowadays. At the same time, all of us can stare through that window to our past to build our future.” Roxu’s Laura Lara’s 

…

Photo credit Fer Alcalá

Comments

comments