- Fundación Cepsa has included this urban artwork in its ‘Sumérgete en Santa Cruz’ (Submerge yourself in Santa Cruz) mural campaign
- The content of the design was chosen by over 180 residents of this Santa Cruz neighborhood
This morning, Fundación Cepsa, together with the Factoría de Cohesión Ciudad y Puerto (Port-City Cohesion Factory - Facocip), has unveiled a new mural, part of its ‘Sumérgete en Santa Cruz’ initiative. It is situated on the section of the San Andrés motorway leading to Valleseco and pays tribute to the neighborhood’s fishing tradition.
This new urban artwork, by local artist Ione Domínguez, brings the number of murals in this initiative distributed around the city to 19. The work, which has also been supported by other companies in the port, shows a fisherwoman from the neighborhood against a background reminiscent of the interiors of local houses. It also shows elements typical of the coast, such as barges and fishing boats, using a surrealist style close to magical realism, giving the composition a dreamlike quality.
The idea of creating this mural, a longstanding demand of the Valleseco neighborhood, arose in the ‘Heart of Tenerife’ solidarity event organized by Facocip, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority and the city council, with the support of Fundación Cepsa. The content of the design was chosen by the votes of over 180 neighborhood residents.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by José Manuel Fernández-Sabugo, Cepsa’s Canary Islands director, also representing Fundación Cepsa, Alberto Dieter, representing Facocip, the artist himself, Ione Domínguez, and Iker Muro, coordinator of ‘Sumérgete en Santa Cruz’. Also present were representatives of the port companies involved.
Mr. Fernández-Sabugo recalled that this initiative formed part of a larger project in Santa Cruz to embellish dividing walls that were in a poor state or simply unattractive, under which 18 murals had already been installed around the city. He stated that Fundación Cepsa was seeking to provide new opportunities for mural artists to publicize their work as a form of expression, while adding to the city’s cultural heritage.
Alberto Dieter, in turn, highlighted the symbolism of this mural, which not only embellishes the entrance to Valleseco, but also shows the fundamental importance of the port businesses’ participation in this initiative, which meets a longstanding demand by the neighborhood and constitutes a gift for the area.
Submerge yourself in Santa Cruz
This project was launched six years ago at the initiative of Fundación Cepsa, with the aim of using urban art to embellish the capital of Tenerife.
Last October, the Fundación Cepsa and the city council published a brochure with an urban route for viewing the murals placed at different sites in the city, which is available to citizens at the city's tourist offices.
The main murals in this initiative are found at different points around the city center, from the entrance to the city beside the Cepsa refinery to the Serrador bridge and Santiago street, passing other sites such as Castillo street, Miraflores, and El Pilar. Now, the murals also extend to the highway linking the city to the beach.
As well as Ione Domínguez, the artists who have had the opportunity to participate in the project include Iker Muro, Txemy Basualto, Tanausú Alemán, Diego Mena, Diego Izquierdo, Matías Mata, Acaymo Padrino, Víctor Pacheco, Shirley Wintsch, Carmen Cólogan, Louis Lambert, Lauro Samblás, and Arián León.
