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Photos: Velazquez’s ladies in waiting spruce up struggling Spanish town

In 2008, sick of seeing his derelict neighbourhood dying a slow death, Spanish artist Eduardo Hermida walked out of his studio one day and painted a mural inspired by Diego Velazquez's "Las Meninas" masterpiece. It was a spontaneous protest begging authorities to do something in Canido in the industrial, northwestern town of Ferrol, dubbed Spain's Detroit for its population drain and abandoned homes. The act of protest gave birth to a festival and gave new colors to this city of Galicia.

Updated on: Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM IST

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A mural seen during the annual street art festival “Meninas de Canido” set up in 2008 in Ferrol, Spain. Sick of watching his derelict neighbourhood dying a slow death, Spanish artist Eduardo Hermida walked out of his studio and painted a mural inspired by Diego Velazquez’s masterpiece “Las Meninas” in 2008. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

A mural seen during the annual street art festival “Meninas de Canido” set up in 2008 in Ferrol, Spain. Sick of watching his derelict neighbourhood dying a slow death, Spanish artist Eduardo Hermida walked out of his studio and painted a mural inspired by Diego Velazquez’s masterpiece “Las Meninas” in 2008. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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It was a spontaneous protest begging authorities to do something in the industrial town of Ferrol, dubbed Spain’s Detroit for its shrinking population. His friends joined in. As the years passed, so did artists from as far as Taiwan and before he knew it, Hermida had created an urban art festival that has helped breathe life into the neighbourhood, attracting visitors and residents. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

It was a spontaneous protest begging authorities to do something in the industrial town of Ferrol, dubbed Spain’s Detroit for its shrinking population. His friends joined in. As the years passed, so did artists from as far as Taiwan and before he knew it, Hermida had created an urban art festival that has helped breathe life into the neighbourhood, attracting visitors and residents. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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In April, a mural sporting Banksy’s signature appeared overnight, generating breathless excitement. Was this the famously anonymous graffiti star’s foray into Spain, coming to the rescue of the struggling town? Unfortunately not. Banksy’s website has since denied he was behind the image of two Guardia Civil police agents kissing, and the author’s identity remains a mystery. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

In April, a mural sporting Banksy’s signature appeared overnight, generating breathless excitement. Was this the famously anonymous graffiti star’s foray into Spain, coming to the rescue of the struggling town? Unfortunately not. Banksy’s website has since denied he was behind the image of two Guardia Civil police agents kissing, and the author’s identity remains a mystery. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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During this edition of the event, now sponsored by commercial brands, artists from around Spain got busy on walls marked with a yellow “M”, indicating where they were allowed to work. Some perched on aerial work platforms to spray-paint giant building facades, others delicately glued mosaics to the wall of a house in ruins. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

During this edition of the event, now sponsored by commercial brands, artists from around Spain got busy on walls marked with a yellow “M”, indicating where they were allowed to work. Some perched on aerial work platforms to spray-paint giant building facades, others delicately glued mosaics to the wall of a house in ruins. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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A mural versioning Velazquez' masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’ in Ferrol. The neighbourhood has accumulated around 240 quirky variants of Velazquez’s 17th century painting, which depicts young Infanta Margarita with her ladies-in-waiting (Meninas in Spanish), wearing tight corsets and wide, bouffant skirts. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

A mural versioning Velazquez' masterpiece ‘Las Meninas’ in Ferrol. The neighbourhood has accumulated around 240 quirky variants of Velazquez’s 17th century painting, which depicts young Infanta Margarita with her ladies-in-waiting (Meninas in Spanish), wearing tight corsets and wide, bouffant skirts. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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Cubist Meninas, a Menina with a Darth Vader head, another sporting the feminist slogan “Time’s Up”, a mermaid Menina with long blue hair and a scar on her breast campaigning for breast cancer, another whose face lines follow the cracks of a wall... in Canido, they come in all colours and sizes. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

Cubist Meninas, a Menina with a Darth Vader head, another sporting the feminist slogan “Time’s Up”, a mermaid Menina with long blue hair and a scar on her breast campaigning for breast cancer, another whose face lines follow the cracks of a wall... in Canido, they come in all colours and sizes. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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They help liven up a town that Hermida says has suffered an “agonising and chronic” crisis sparked by the decline in its once buoyant shipyards. “That pushed people to migrate, to leave, and there are lots of abandoned houses,” the 52-year-old artist said. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

They help liven up a town that Hermida says has suffered an “agonising and chronic” crisis sparked by the decline in its once buoyant shipyards. “That pushed people to migrate, to leave, and there are lots of abandoned houses,” the 52-year-old artist said. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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Since 1981, Ferrol, also the birthplace of late dictator Francisco Franco, has lost more than 20,000 inhabitants. Between 1998 and 2017 the number of under-30s living there fell by nearly 47%. In February, Zara, the high-street fashion favourite whose billionaire owner is Galician, closed its only store there. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

Since 1981, Ferrol, also the birthplace of late dictator Francisco Franco, has lost more than 20,000 inhabitants. Between 1998 and 2017 the number of under-30s living there fell by nearly 47%. In February, Zara, the high-street fashion favourite whose billionaire owner is Galician, closed its only store there. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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Canido, perched high in town overlooking lush rolling hills, has been “one of the worst-hit” neighbourhoods, says Hermida. But it has gradually changed over the decade helped in no small part by the Meninas, locals say. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

Canido, perched high in town overlooking lush rolling hills, has been “one of the worst-hit” neighbourhoods, says Hermida. But it has gradually changed over the decade helped in no small part by the Meninas, locals say. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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While many dilapidated, single-storey houses remain, several new homes have sprung up. A popular supermarket chain has also opened. “There is a gynaecologist, fishmonger, restaurants with good food,” Hermida added. Jose Gandara, a 46-year-old newsagent who has run shop since 1996, estimated that Canido’s population has doubled since the festival began. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

While many dilapidated, single-storey houses remain, several new homes have sprung up. A popular supermarket chain has also opened. “There is a gynaecologist, fishmonger, restaurants with good food,” Hermida added. Jose Gandara, a 46-year-old newsagent who has run shop since 1996, estimated that Canido’s population has doubled since the festival began. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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A man walks past mural paintings inspired by Velazquez' masterpiece. “There are more customers... young people have come to the neighbourhood, couples, young people with kids,” Gandara said. Tourists from cruise ships that now dock in Ferrol trek up to the neighbourhood to see what all the fuss is about. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

A man walks past mural paintings inspired by Velazquez' masterpiece. “There are more customers... young people have come to the neighbourhood, couples, young people with kids,” Gandara said. Tourists from cruise ships that now dock in Ferrol trek up to the neighbourhood to see what all the fuss is about. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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The concept of art helping revive a town is not new. Fanzara in eastern Spain, for instance, has been revitalised by giant murals painted by artists from around the world. For Maria Fernandez Lemos, Ferrol’s urban planning councillor, the Meninas festival -- and a close-knit community -- has helped generate pride in a town that didn’t have much to go on. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

Updated on Sep 05, 2018 9:31 AM

The concept of art helping revive a town is not new. Fanzara in eastern Spain, for instance, has been revitalised by giant murals painted by artists from around the world. For Maria Fernandez Lemos, Ferrol’s urban planning councillor, the Meninas festival -- and a close-knit community -- has helped generate pride in a town that didn’t have much to go on. (Miguel Riopa / AFP)

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