Art of reviving lives

In 2008, sick of watching his derelict neighbourhood dying a slow death, Spanish artist Eduardo Hermida walked out of his studio and painted a mural inspired by Diego Velazquez’s masterpiece “Las Meninas”.

It was a spontaneous protest begging authorities to do something in Canido in the industrial northwestern town of Ferrol, dubbed Spain’s Detroit for its shrinking population and abandoned homes. His friends joined in. As the years passed, so did other artists from as far afield as Taiwan and before he knew it, Hermida had created an annual urban art festival that has helped breathe life into the neighbourhood, attracting visitors and new residents.

In April, a mural sporting the alleged signature of legendary street artist Banksy appeared overnight, generating breathless excitement. Was this the famously anonymous graffiti star’s first foray into Spain, coming to the rescue of the struggling Galician town? Unfortunately not.

Banksy’s official website has since denied he was behind the stencilled image of two Guardia Civil police agents kissing, and the author’s true identity remains a mystery.

But the show goes on. ‘Agonising’ decline During last weekend’s edition of the event, now sponsored by commercial brands, artists from around Spain got busy on walls marked with a yellow “M”, indicating where they were allowed to work.

Some perched on aerial work platforms to spray-paint giant building facades, others delicately glued mosaics to the wall of a house in ruins. The neighbourhood has accumulated around 240 quirky variants of  Velazquez’s 17th century painting, which depicts young Infanta Margarita with her ladies-in-waiting (Meninas in Spanish), wearing tight corsets and wide, bouffant skirts.