LPGC’31 and urban art at the European Night of Museums

Last Saturday, the Castillo de Mata Museum was transformed into a space for open creation and contemporary dialogue with the opening of REBEL WALLS. Urban Stories, an exhibition project promoted by Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’s bid to become European Capital of Culture 2031, LPGC’31, which supports urban art as a legitimate and transformative cultural expression, capable of fostering a collective identity.

The exhibition brings together 14 urban artists — Bhram, Crissh, Dailos Socorro, Dani Hache, DrNuBaH, Duabella, Fabrizio, Fÿgaro, Makarron, Maldito Mono, Mos, Since83, Sph Mntm, and Sublime86 — who have created artistic interventions on plasterboard exhibition walls installed inside the museum. The result is a visual journey that engages in dialogue with the historic architecture of the Castle whilst reinterpreting the space through a contemporary and participatory perspective.

Culture from the borders
More than a conventional exhibition, REBEL WALLS functions as a living creative laboratory where visitors will have the opportunity, through next December, to engage with the artistic process, observe the techniques and narratives of the artists, and connect with a discipline that for years has remained on the margins of institutional spaces in the Canary Islands.

The project aims not only to transform the walls, but also to give shape and visibility to an artistic movement that finds here a space for recognition and exchange. For this reason, the Castillo de Mata Museum will host workshops, talks, performances and activities spanning various urban artistic disciplines such as music, dance and the audiovisual arts; the museum thus becomes a hub that brings to life the Geography Rebellion proposed by the LPGC’31 bid. The initiative stems from the synergy between European Museum Night and the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity.

Free Circular Shuttle Bus
On the initiative of the LPGC’31 bid, a free night-time cultural trail was created to link three of the city’s leading cultural centres to mark European Museum Night.

A shuttle bus ran continuously on a circular route from 7 pm until midnight — the special closing time for the Castillo de Mata — connecting this museum with Casa África (Calle Alfonso XIII, 5) and the Martín Chirino Foundation for Art and Thought, located at the Castillo de la Luz, allowing residents and visitors to comfortably enjoy the special programme prepared for this magical evening dedicated to culture. The bus stops were marked with the image representing the LPGC’31 bid.

‘Museums in a Divided World’
The initiative stems from the reality that culture is already being experienced in the streets, albeit under precarious conditions, and proposes providing cultural collectives with safe, equipped, and stable spaces for artistic development. Likewise, the proposal advocates for participatory governance integrating public institutions and civic groups in the creation of cultural policies, reinforcing the role of culture as a social driver in support of the city’s candidacy to become European Capital of Culture 2031.