manolo mesa pays tribute to an abandoned pottery factory in oviedo with massive mural

parees, the mural intervention festival of oviedo, spain, is a cultural, social, and artistic event bringing artists and citizens together to offer the city a new look through its walls. for its 2020 edition, the festival invited spanish artist, manolo mesa, to intervene one of the city walls with his street art pictorial practice. the result is a massive mural dedicated to the abandoned pottery factory of san claudio.

images by @mirahaciaatras and @feralcala

manolo mesa’s murals are special because they take our relationship with the mundane and quotidian and elevates it to public discussion. deeply touched by the abandonment of the san claudio pottery factory in the 90s, mesa understood the impact of this manufacture in oviedo, and what its closure meant for the city.

‘the pottery factory of san claudio provided for generations many jobs throughout this region with its molds, glazes, traces, and hand-painted decorations in a time when popular painters from the area were counted on to represent particular asturian landscapes in each collection,’ the artist comments on his instagram page.

research lead manolo mesa to find many pieces made at the san claudio pottery factory, including postwar ceramics which were inherited and preserved by collectors. ‘the crockery of san claudio was part of the identity, and the history of oviedo, and everyone wanted to be part of it by having that white crockery in their homes,’ the artist continues.

mesa’s mural is not only a beautiful piece, but also one that has been made for the people of oviedo, to exalt their history and give them a good reason to smile. ‘for the inhabitants of oviedo, those pieces that once came from their land will always be part of them, of their lifelong memories, of their geographic location and of their art history. for me, it was a joy to see that, while I was working, people of all ages and classes felt identified with my mural. especially the old men and women who walked in front of it… I will always remember their faces of astonishment and gratitude when they saw me paint up there.’