Figures carved in cork and from recycled wood pallets grace Serranía de Ronda village famed for its chestnuts

Pujerra, in the upper Genal valley of the Serranía de Ronda in Malaga province, is decorating its streets with cork and wood sculptures, designed by Galician artist Ricardo Dávila, who lives in the local area - Arriate to be precise. Several works of art have already been installed in different parts of this village, which has enthusiastically welcomed the initiative, as have the visitors who have stumbled upon this new attraction.

In principle, a total of 12 sculptures have been chosen to be made of cork and wood pallets as recycled materials. The cork is known as 'bornizo' cork - the first cork to be cut from a 25-year old cork oak tree. It is rough and uneven in shape, unsuitable for corking wine-bottles but very decorative.

"The pieces are related to the social life of the village and the agricultural work of growing chestnuts, although I am also creating mythical characters from my imagination," said the artist. Among others, his hands have given life to a flying figure in homage to the work of the French painter Marc Chagall (a contemporary of Picasso), a chestnut-seller and a mythological female figure. It should be noted that Pujerra has a large area of its surrounding lands dedicated to the cultivation of chestnuts.

"The aim is for these sculptures to fit perfectly into Pujerra and the surrounding area," Dávila said. Also, the aim of this project is to offer a new attraction to visitors who come to the village and to explore the rest of the Genal valley.

Dávila, who was born in 1943 and studied at the School of Fine Arts in La Coruña, has a long career of national and international renown and has worked with materials such as stone and wood, especially chestnut and the roots of olive trees, with several earnest students who have studied with him, such as the Parauta sculptor Diego Guerrero. His art is spread throughout different countries and he has also collaborated with other villages in the Serranía de Ronda.