“Nos están apagando” (“They are turning us off”) is a public art project by Boa Mistura that calls attention to the lack of electricity in the Cañada Real neighborhood. The project featured 4,000 candles, one for each resident without power, that were lit on the night of January 5, 2021. The project was shared on Boa Mistura’s social media and on Vimeo to shine a light on the issue of displacement in Spain.

La Cañada Real Galiana, Europe’s largest informal settlement, has been without consistent electricity for over three years, starting in 2020 and continuing to this day. Described as a “mishmash of shacks and brick and mortar” in EuroNews and existing less than 10 miles from Madrid, Cañada Real is one of the most stigmatized places in Spain and home to 8,000 displaced people of 17 different nationalities. Divided into six sectors, the fifth and sixth sectors were the primary victims of this outage. About half of the 4,000 people affected were minors. In December 2020, the UN denounced this situation as inhumane and a “children’s rights violation.” However, the power outage continued.

The process of planning “Nos están apagando’s” message and collecting candles took almost a month, from December 10th, 2020, through January 5th, 2021. It involved collaboration with community members and activist associations such as Mujeres Tabadol. Boa Misura notes that the candles were donated by “neighbors of the Cañada and civil society,” which is an important element of the project because candles are used by Cañada Real residents as a primary source of light. The visual effect of “Nos están apagando” is striking due to the strong contrast between the luminous candles and the backdrop of the powerless settlement.

Madrid-based group Boa Mistura began creating street art around Madrid in the 1990s and early 2000s in the style pixação, native to São Paulo. As an artistic style, pixação is known for its connections to protest against inequality. The Portuguese name “Boa Mistura” is a tribute to their art style and means “good mixture,” honoring the diverse backgrounds of the members. The group includes architect Javier Serrano Guerra, image arts specialist Juan Jaume Fernández, graphic design specialist Pablo Ferreiro Mederos, and illustrator Pablo Purón Carrillo. Boa Mistura has done work globally, but “Nos están apagando” is significant as it strays from their traditional style of street art. Additionally, Boa Mistura recognizes that much of their work, including this project, is inherently political since it exists in the public space.

Whether it is street art or candles, Boa Mistura’s works have a fleeting nature. The group does not worry about the durability of their work, focusing instead on the impact of the project on the communities they work with and the relationships they build. The group states, “We understand our work as a tool to transform the city and create links between people. We feel a responsibility towards the city and the time in which we live.” The Cañada Real project was a success in regards to both the connections forged between Boa Mistura and the community and the wide notoriety that the installation gained. Thanks to this project’s success, the group created a follow-up installment entitled “Seguimos Luchando” (“We keep fighting”) later in 2021. This project consists of four solar-powered garlands that mimic Christmas lights. These garlands call for the return of electricity to Cañada Real, employing phrases such as “luz para Cañada” (“light for Cañada”) and “seguimos a oscuras” (“we’re still in the dark”). Notably, this project deliberately references Christmas through its medium to emphasize the dangerous lack of electricity during the cold winter months. Despite the continued lack of electricity, these two projects used light sources as a medium to call awareness to the absence of light and electricity that the community faces.

When the 4,000 candles were lit by community members on the night of January 5th, “Nos están apagando” culminated in a luminous act of public visibility for the displaced residents. Boa Mistura member Serrano explains, “The mere fact of turning them visible again gives them back their dignity that as human beings we must all have” (Art Is Power 121). “Nos están apagando” exists not only as a cry for help but also as a statement of the human dignity of those without power, illuminating them in the darkness of Cañada Real.

Sources

Boa Mistura. Accessed April 11, 2024. https://boamistura.com/en/.

“Cañada Real: Drugs, conflict and a 760-day power cut plague Europe’s biggest shantytown.” EuroNews. November 7, 2022. https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/11/07/canada-real-drugs-conflict-and-a-760-day-power-cut-plague-europes-biggest-shantytown.

Verlaque, Juliette. “Art is Power: 20 Artists On How They Fight for Justice and Inspire Change.” Artists at Risk Connection, June 27, 2023. https://artistsatriskconnection.org/files/2023_Art%20is%20Power_PEN%20America_ARC.pdf.