Street art in a lost Spanish village

The northwest of Spain accumulates the worst socio-economic data in the country. The provinces of Orense, León and Zamora are at the epicentre of all the negative statistics: a very old population, a low birth rate, a weakened economy... And there is nothing to suggest that the situation will change. Tourism, infected by the rest of the economic indicators, is also languishing. Amidst all this negative data, there is a small town of some 10,000 inhabitants that has opted for street art to reclaim its place on the map: welcome to La Bañeza.

Every summer, in mid-August, La Bañeza organises a festival of urban music and street art: Art Aero Rap. The musical performances go on from mid-afternoon until late at night - we are still in Spain. And street artists from all over the world give free rein to their imagination on the old facades of the town. Art Aero Rap was born in 2013 and today more than 200 works of art can be seen in La Bañeza. Some of them have been recognised as the best graffiti in the world in different editions of the competition. The truth is that none of them is as impressive as the whole. Strolling through the streets of La Bañeza aimlessly and letting yourself be surprised is an incredible experience for the whole family.

Graffiti artists consider travel to be part of their culture: getting to know other places, other cities, and making works that fit into their context is a fundamental part of their creative process. Dinho Bento (Brazil), Artez (Serbia), Theic Licuado (Uruguay), Gamze Yalcin (Turkey), NSN997 (Italy), Simian Switch and Serge KB (Netherlands), Daniele Geniale (Italy), Thiago Mazza (Brazil) and Chris Butcher (United Kingdom), among many others, have visited La Bañeza. One of the regulars at the festival is the Spanish artist Da2.0, perhaps the one who has signed the most murals in La Bañeza and also the author of several works in neighbouring Astorga.

Northwest Spain has much more to offer than a village lost in the middle of a Spanish motorway that has become an open-air museum of street art. But La Bañeza is as good a reason as any to visit the emptied and forgotten Spain, where by the way, the food is very good.