VMF Alumni: Medianeras
Medianeras (aka Vanesa Galdeano and Anali Chanquia) are a street artist duo from Argentina, and one of Vancouver Mural Festival's international artists for 2019. We were blown away by their anamorphic mural, especially watching them hand paint it entirely without projections!
As full time street artists, Medianeras have created murals around the world and we're happy to hear that their time at VMF and in our city was one of their favourites so far!
Mural done in Argentina for Festival Maaanso
Mosaic
Anali and Vanesa painting at VMF2019
What are some fun facts that people may not know about you guys?
Our name Medianeras is the Spanish architectural word for 'side walls'. As street artists, we were drawn to this concept because unlike exterior walls which separate spaces, the side walls are those shared between neighbours. We believe public art, besides making cities more beautiful, claims the idea of a shared space that brings people together.
We are married! We've been together for over 5 years and just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary.
Vanesa is a trained architect and mosaic artist. Both of these elements play a big part in our art - from angles and geometry to scale, details and precision. Occasionally, we incorporate mosaics into our painted murals as well.
What have been some of your favourite murals/projects?
Vanesa: Our mural in Vancouver is my favourite. We had fun painting it and good memories especially on the last day with our VMF friends.
Anali: I love our mural in Lisbon for the MURO Street Art Festival - the mural itself but also the location outside the central part of the city. Street art is about shifting perspectives, transforming landscapes, and moving the point of interest (art) to other areas so I like that people have to move and seek it out.
What other arts festivals have you painted for?
Anali: We've painted murals around the world in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Mexico, Thailand and Australia. Some of the festivals include MURO (Portugal), Brisbane Street Art Festival (Australia), and FIK (Brazil). We painted at FIK in 2018 and have been invited back to Florianopolis to lead a workshop at their festival this month.
Future goals/aspirations/projects you want to be a part of?
Vanesa: We're currently relocating from our hometown of Rosario, Argentina to Barcelona, Spain. We love Europe and feel that basing ourselves in a central location will increase opportunities to participate in more festivals and share our art with more people.
What was your experience with Vancouver Mural Festival like?
Vanessa: From the start, we had a wonderful experience in Vancouver because of the people. Everyone was so welcoming and we made a lot of friends. On the logistics side, everything at the festival was really well organized - materials, lifts, set-up etc. As street artists, that's something we really appreciated. We also had the chance to live in a house with a family during our time in Vancouver. It was a very enriching experience. It made us feel more at home and allowed us to be more a part of the city and culture.
Anali: We appreciated the opportunity to meet and have a conversation with the owner of the wall. Public art is very much about collaboration and community so it's always great when we have a chance to speak to people while creating a mural. We enjoyed the guided mural tours that came around too. As street artists, interacting with people is one of our favourite parts of what we do. We love meeting people and speaking to them about street art. The people in Vancouver are very friendly!
Any advice for 2020 VMF artists?
Anali: Be prepared... because you're going to have the best festival! The festival team and community are awesome. Canadian people are great!
Vanesa: The beer in Vancouver is the best but it's strong. My advice is to wait until after your mural before celebrating with too much!
Mural done in Portugal for MURO Street Art Festival
Finished mural for VMF2019
