Street Art in Gran Canaria
Charlie discovers graffiti and murales
Some parts of this world are very well-know for their street art. If you have been to South America, you’ve probably seen the so-called murales. In London, Shoreditch is always worth a visit to see any new graffiti. Charlie did not expect to see so much street art when she chose Gran Canaria as a destination. Every day on her way to the surf, she discovered more urban art.
The Spanish newspaper La Provincia even labelled Las Palmas as the Capital of Graffiti in 2021 following a national street art competition. Charlie discovered these urban art works by coincidence during an evening stroll in the quarter La Minilla. The 10 best artists at the competition Liga Nacional del Graffiti got to showcase their work in a giant mural.
Urban Art at the Paseo de las Canteras
Right by the most popular surf spot, La Cicer, in Las Palmas is a big mural to commemorate a bodyboarder who passed away following an accident at El Frontón in 2022. It is not only a beautiful piece of Street art, but shows the spirit in the surf community in Gran Canaria. The mural reads “Nada es para siempre, pero hazlo inolvidable.” (Nothing lasts forever, but we can make it unforgettable.)
On the other side of that block of houses is another giant mural. To be entirely honest, it is more of a painted house than a mural, but it draws special attention to itself. It has the inscription: “Colorea la vida. Aunque no guste a todos.” (Make life colourful. Even though not everybody likes it.) Charlie couldn’t have said it better when looking at this building.
There are plenty of graffiti along the promenade of Las Canteras beach where Charlie went for surfing. Most of these art works are by an artist called Diego Diem or CNFSN.
Street Art near Triana in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Charlie did some research but there isn’t much information about the street art in Las Palmas. Where cities like Bristol and London offer ready-made maps and even guided street art tours, Las Palmas has to be discovered on your own. It was by coincidence that Charlie discovered some more street art and graffiti near Triana. She walked down from Paseo Chil towards another coffee shop to work from and discovered a staircase that was covered in graffiti. Further down the road, in Calle Aguadulce, she noticed a big mural that seems to show the different stages of industrialization.
Street Art in La Isleta
There are a few corners with street art in the quarter of La Isleta in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The one that is easiest to find, because it is marked in Google Maps, is the staircase in Calle de Faya, called Isletarte. It is an artwork from 2015 by Ana Beltrá.
Charlie went on a stroll through La Isleta and she found two other spots with street art. Most of those murals were at the upper end of Calle Tenteniguada and Calle Coronel Rocha.
There are some other wall arts closer to the sea promenade in La Isleta. However, some of them have been washed off quite a bit and could do with a repaint.
On your way to La Isleta, you should take a detour to the corner of Calle José Franchy Roca and Calle Veintinueve de Abril where Charlie spotted some other murals by coincidence.
Street are in Vecindario
If you are really interested in street art, there is one spot in Gran Canaria you should not miss. There is a big wall dedicated to street art behind the shopping centre Centro Comercial Atlántico Vecindario. In front of that wall of at least 20 different art pieces is a pedestrian area lined with trees. Those trees throw a bit of shade on the artworks around lunchtime. It looks like these get painted over by new art regularly as they always look quite fresh. When Charlie was there, most of the murals were drawn by Saker VCG and Ceser.
Street art along the north coast
The best surf spots in Gran Canaria are along the North Coast between Las Palmas and Gáldar and as luck would have it, there is also some amazing street art to be found. They are all aligned with the maritime theme being close to the sea. Charlie found some at the spot La Guancha near Gáldar and some others at Bañaderos.
