This first phase corresponds to the districts of Arganzuela, Fuencarral-El Pardo, Puente de Vallecas, Hortaleza, Vicálvaro, San Blas-Canillejas and Barajas.
- The Madrid City Council will start procedures to implement these murals in the municipal public libraries of these districts before the end of the year, with a focus on promoting reading.
- The total budget of the project is 128,260 euros, including 3,630 euros as a prize for each winner.
- A jury of county residents and urban art experts are in charge of selecting the winning proposals.
- Purpose Partition walls 21 districts of Madrid to accommodate a citizen initiative to improve the urban landscape through mural interventions in publicly owned spaces with the intervention of artists and residents.
Madrid, June 21, 2023
Residents of the districts of Arganzuela, Fuencarral-El Pardo, Puente de Vallecas, Hortaleza, Vicálvaro and San Blas-Canillejas, together with a jury of urban art experts, selected the winning proposals for the Art Interventions competition. Partition walls, whose theme revolves around encouraging reading. Once the successful proposals are known, the Madrid City Council will start the procedures to implement these murals in municipal public libraries in these districts by the end of the year. For its development, the project budget is 128,260 euros, including 3,630 euros as a prize for each winner.
Partition walls A program of artistic interventions, the creation of which is included in city contracts. Its aim is to give space to citizen initiative in improving the urban landscape through mural interventions in publicly owned spaces with the intervention of artists and residents in 21 districts of Madrid. In this first call, the competition was addressed to the above mentioned six districts and barajas which were finally deserted as no proposal was submitted, hence it will be included in the next call.
Successful proposals
As announced by the jury on June 16, the following art projects won:
science tree, Artist Nolia Jiménez Portilla at the Pio Baroja Library in the District of Arcanuzela. This proposition refers to the meaning of Pio Baroja’s homonymous book. With that, everyone who stops to read this mural dances with the rhythm of the word, connects with the rhythm of nature and life, and not only achieves the blissful knowledge of the tree where reason and experience meet, but also what its author wants. The science of life and the life of science becomes a dance that affects the environment and its people.
Reading as a traveling experience Artist Inaki García Esteban at the José Saramago Library in the Fuencarral-El Pardo district. It is an artwork that carries over to various scenes from the books. Some elements of this proposal are flying books, a child reading, a dynamic composition, references to the books of José Saramago or references to urban sculptures in the district.
Against forgetfulness Artist Amaya Arrazola at the Pozo del Tío Raimundo Library in the Puente de Vallecas district. This proposal wants to give a place to vision Hatless, a group of 27 generations of Spanish women who stood out in the field of literature and art, invisible for political and social reasons. The mural recreates each of these women symbolically like a puzzle.
Go on an adventure! By the artist Núria Dart Lorach at the Huerta de Salud Library in the Hartalessa district. The project is presented as an evocative work embodying the unshakable spirit of literature. He wants to symbolize the hope, guidance and protection that books can provide in times of uncertainty, as well as highlight the importance of preserving and caring for reading.
positive method By artist Michelangelo Marra (NSN997) at the Francisco Ayala Library in Vigalvaro District. The proposition captures a metaphorical pattern in which the characters exchange books. To the right of the mural, a hand holds a book and the cover reads “libr(o)sy libr(e)s”. Free books in public libraries, books for freedom and the free delivery of knowledge and culture. A diverse community that shares books.
After all Artist Diego Vicente San Segundo at the José Hierro Library in the San Blas-Canillejas district. In this case, it’s a piece inspired by poetry Life By author Jose Hierro, the words “All is nothing” are repeated over and over again in opposition to each other. Like the poet, this mural tries to play with duality: cold and warm colors, night and day, abstraction and figure… to create a three-way dialogue between building, poetry and painting.
Phases of competition
The process for the contest, which is now governed, began with a public inquiry held in Decide Madrid from September 6 to October 5, 2021 and allowed residents to collect their ideas regarding the theme of the contest. The contributions of this consultation were incorporated into the tender criteria invited on March 14, 2023 to serve as inspiration for the preparation of proposals.
The winning proposals were selected by a jury of experts based on their artistic and technical quality and a public vote of district residents convened after the submission deadline. The winners will receive a prize of 3,630 euros, along with the right to execute the mural with a budget allocated to each wall according to their group.
Successful art interventions will be directed by the selected artist and will involve the collaboration of the residents of the districts during their implementation. /
