{"id":496,"date":"2014-08-27T17:13:52","date_gmt":"2014-08-27T15:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portamallorquina.com\/blog\/?p=496"},"modified":"2015-10-23T17:21:49","modified_gmt":"2015-10-23T15:21:49","slug":"street-art-palma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portamallorquina.com\/blog\/street-art-palma\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Art in Palma"},"content":{"rendered":"

A city tour with a difference<\/span><\/h2>\n

Palma\u2019s old town<\/b> has two faces. At first glance, we are enchanted by the medieval city palaces, the magnificent patios, and the elegant Art Nouveau fa\u00e7ades. But today we didn\u2019t meet on the Plaza Mayor <\/b>to follow the tide of tourists. Instead, we allow ourselves to be led through the narrower, darker laneways to the Sa Gerreria quarter<\/b>. This is where the city reveals its second face which exudes an unexpected, morbid charm<\/b>.<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/a><\/p>\n

Street art on a garage door in Palma\u2019s Calle Can Pueyo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Palma\u2019s second face<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Even close to the Merc\u00e8 Church<\/b>, there are countless empty houses waiting for investors willing to renovate. Until they arrive, the dilapidated fa\u00e7ades <\/b>serve as canvases for urban artists such as Manrique Daniel Dur\u00e1n. The Argentinian\u2019s studio is in the garage of one of these abandoned buildings. The owner appears to have completely lost interest in his properties, and there\u2019s not even a \u201cFor Sale\u201d sign to be seen.<\/p>\n

Manrique Daniel Dur\u00e1n \u2013 an artist and his quarter<\/span><\/h2>\n

Manrique studied art and architecture in Buenos Aires and came to Palma four years ago. His career as a street artist took off when a neighbouring shop owner noticed his neo-Cubist paintings<\/b>. His colourful motifs <\/b>now adorn many roller shutters and house walls on Calle Can Vatlori<\/b>, an otherwise unremarkable street very close to the Plaza Mayor<\/b>. Manrique wants to breathe new life <\/b>into the Merc\u00e8 quarter, which is situated between the two shopping streets, Carrer de Sant Miguel and Carrer des Sindicat, and he has great plans.<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/a><\/p>\n

Street artist Manrique Dur\u00e1n in front of one of his works on Calle Can Vatlori<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A fresh coat of paint for neglected fa\u00e7ades<\/span><\/h2>\n

Communal barbecues out on the street are just the beginning, and help to promote a sense of neighbourhood. Together with the shop owners, he is planning to green the street, and Manrique also wants to paint entire houses as part of an artists\u2019 collective<\/b> \u2013 instead of simply doing nothing as the buildings fall into ruin. \u201cIf somebody would pay for our materials, we could get started tomorrow,\u201d says Manrique, who describes himself as a romantic. We can only hope that one or other of the house owners will pick up on his altruistic offer. Palma\u2019s second face <\/b>could do with a little colour.<\/p>\n

An open-air gallery close to the Plaza Quadrado<\/span><\/h2>\n

We now take leave of our personable local hero, and continue our artistically-informative guided tour close to the \u201cMolta Barra\u201d bar, which is located on the popular Tapas Route<\/b>. From here we go down a narrow alleyway which leads to the Plaza Quadrado<\/b>, where we are astonished to see a derelict fa\u00e7ade that has been transformed into a veritable open-air gallery. One of the most striking features are the graffiti<\/b> by \u201cSoma\u201d, a great asset on the Palma street art scene.<\/p>\n