La Voz de Galicia – January 5, 2018 →
Joseba Muruzábal’s “Fenómenos do rural” (Rural Phenomena) are odes to Galician women. The artist and muralist Yoseba MP, as he is also known, delights in the idea of the Galician heroine when he depicts older women in rural areas as “supergrandmothers.” He celebrates the infinite strength and supernatural power of women who routinely care for the earth and their environment. Though of late it seems that his work is finally receiving media attention, the truth is that this 33-year-old Galician artist should have a place in history as the creator of an invaluable work of art not just for what it represents at an artistic level but for what it represents at a social level as well.
I don’t know him personally, but my wishlist this Twelfth Night would include to someday visit his studio and speak with him at length. His “supergrandmothers” project is only a small though a great part of the work of this artist from Cambre. With his contemporaneous hyperrealism, he celebrates the quotidian with a style as genuine as it is powerful. Visiting Yoseba MP at his art academy Veladuras of Compostela to be able to learn from an artist who knew how to find his voice through the observation and celebration of one of our social pillars would be my hope.
And as part of this same Twelfth Night wishlist, I would like a dignified life, filled with projects and future prospects for all artists who, like Yoseba MP, work in Galicia every day, who steer us in the right direction for a better world, who celebrate Galician strength in its own environment, and who improve our society through the arts without any support. I wish for a country who celebrates and supports the artists who bring hope and beauty into our lives with their vision.
