LUGO – Beautiful street art can be seen in more and more Spanish cities. Thanks to talented graffiti artists, formerly grim neighbourhoods are transformed into real tourist attractions. City walks lead visitors past the urban art.
Now the largest urban art community in the world, Street Art Cities, this Monday named a work of art in Lugo as the best mural in the world. It concerns a graffiti image of Julius Caesar by Diego As on a building on the Ronda da Muralla in Lugo. The Roman ruler overlooks the ancient Roman city wall of this city in northwestern Spain. Those are the only walls that are passable in its entire perimeter.
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“The state of the wall didn’t offer the best view and its location makes it perfect to admire when you walk over the city wall,” Diego As told Nius newspaper.
Urban Cores project
His work is part of Urban Cores, a project that gradually beautifies buildings and public spaces in the city thanks to graffiti. The idea is to let artists paint three different facades every year and this is one of them.
Underprivileged young people
In addition, the municipality organises urban art activities and graffiti workshops aimed at the most underprivileged young people. Local graffiti artists participate along with muralists from outside the community. Added to Diego As are names like Concept Circus or Dadospuntocero, among many others.
60,000 votes for graffiti in Lugo
The “majestic mural of Julius Caesar,” as Street Art Cities calls Diego As’s work, has received more than 60,000 votes. The painting in shades of gray adorns a wall of 20 by 20 metres.
Best graffiti artist in the world
Yet in August Street Art Cities voted the artist from Lugo the best graffiti artist in the world. Diego As then admitted that he was ‘happy’ and overwhelmed after a year ‘of many awards and assignments’. Since he won that title, it has been raining assignments for him.
Other Spaniard in 7th place
The jury of experts chose 100 finalists, but the public had the final say. Another Spaniard, Mon Devane from Ourense, won a seventh-place with his Sarrian luthier Xermán Arias. This work occupies the entire side facade of a two-story building in Triacastela, also in the province of Lugo.
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