Lily Brick Transforms the Face of Pontepedriña - Delas Fest 2021

The Catalan artist closed out the third edition of Delas Fest, the feminist urban and contextual art festival with large-format murals inspired by the experiences of women in the Santiago neighborhood.
 

Santiago, July 28, 2021

The appearance of the Compostela and Cardenal Quiroga Palacios housing complex, in the southwest of Santiago de Compostela, has undergone a colorful metamorphosis in the last few days, thanks to the programming of Europe’s first gender-focused urban art festival, the Delas Fest. The Pontepedriña neighborhood was chosen as the place for the artistic intervention welcomed by the Galician capital for the project’s third edition. It is promoted by 7H Cooperativa Cultural with the support of the Deputación de A Coruña, the city councils of Santiago, Ames, Teo and Brión, and with the support of Montana Colors, Ibersa, Gadis, E.nova Enerxía and the Fundación Finanzas Éticas. 

The visual artist Mireia Serra i Bernadó (Lleida, 1990), artistically known as Lily Brick, created a large-format mural with spray paint and plastic paint inspired by the stories shared in the area’s neighborhoods called “Anfitriónate” (“Host Yourself”). It was launched by the organization to promote connections and creative dialogues between artistic interventions and the local community. 

The artist from Lleida translated the memories and experiences shared by the participants, with whom she met virtually and in person, into a powerful visual story that vindicates the memory of the struggle of the women of the neighborhood. Responsible for the care of their sons and daughters while also sustaining the family economy — which was often linked to the Sar River — they are an example of all those who pushed forward for generations despite facing difficult and uncertain horizons, as is reflected in the lyrics by Sés that accompany the mural.

The Footprint of Urban Art Grows in Santa Isabel

In addition to Brick's piece, the festival's passage through Santiago left its mark on the Santa Isabel Sports Complex. The group of participants in the mural painting workshop, led by the illustrator and muralist Iria Prol, created a colorful and suggestive composition starring a variety of figures that bring visibility to the representation of diverse bodies and identities. 

From the initial sketch drawn up by the Galician artist, the assistants reinterpreted the design, incorporating their own vision, and later collaboratively painting the wall. The result boosts the presence of feminist and contextual urban art in the municipal pavilion, where it is also possible to enjoy the work of Xoana Almar and the mural from the Dúo Amazonas workshop, which were both created during the 2020 edition of the festival.