An urban art exhibition opens at La Malagueta with the works of 141 artists

Many have left their signature on the street and some are regulars in galleries, but others have never exhibited in a cultural centre. There are those with a long career behind them, but also those who have not even finished Fine Arts school. Even so, they all have something in common. "This is art made in Malaga (...) What is happening right now in Malaga", say the curators David Burbano and Roy Laguna, surrounded by works of all styles, techniques and colours in the corridor that leads around the bull ring in La Malagueta. The exhibition opened last Saturday and will only remain there for eleven days.

The first edition of RAMA (Ruedo del Arte La Malagueta) brings together 141 graffiti artists, muralists and visual artists from Malaga and the surrounding area linked to La Casa Amarilla, the gallery that promotes the exhibition together with the Cultural Centre of the provincial council. They want to put the spotlight on the most invisible circuit of contemporary creation, grassroots art, that which is gestated in workshops, schools and in the street itself. "And which is often ignored", laments Burbano. As the deputy for Culture, Manuel López Mestanza, adds, this is a commitment to "make visible and dignify" urban art.

They read their names - all 141 of them - in alphabetical order, there are no signs identifying the works, nor is there a prominent space for some of them. They are mixed and placed with the sole criterion of visual harmony. Everyone, they insist, is important. The aim is to put talent and art ahead of aliases and labels. If anyone wants to know anything about any of them, "just give us a call". Because, in addition, everything they see is for sale with prices ranging from 250 to 16,000 euros.

The only ones with their signatures clearly visible are the 21 artists who created large-format murals (2.40 x 2.40) 'in situ' over three days. Some, such as Verónica Soto and Honek, however, only needed a few hours. Graffiti enters for the first time in this building with a wide representation of the styles that dominate the street, from the Old School of Raki to the hyperrealism of Nesui, passing through 'model pastel' and classic graffiti. There are the eighties characters of Le Petit Kaiser, the monsters of Cafre, the hyperrealist illustration of Eryk Pall and the power of Lalone's faces.

On either side of the murals are more than a hundred works, some of them recognisable at first glance, such as the graphic humour of Omar Janaan, the boot of Patricia Paz, the photograph of an action by Verónica Ruth Frías and Niche Ramírez and an engraving by Paco Aguilar, "an example for many of us". His piece, in fact, opens the route as a symbol of "an artist from Malaga, hard-working and a prophet in his own land". There is a collage by Elena Pedrosa and a silkscreen by Cyro García; Malaga locations such as the Baños del Carmen and the train tracks, local characters such as Chiquito, icons such as the flamenco dancer and elements of the local landscape such as the prickly pear cactus. But it also deals with universal and multicultural themes that could be made anywhere in the world.

The quality, Burbano insists, is on a par with that of any big city. In fact, La Casa Amarilla will soon be invited to a museum in Pontevedra to talk about the artistic boom in the city. "What happens is that artists are not always seen". He assures that it is not easy to be one in this city. "It's a difficult place, it's hard for us to make ends meet," he says. With a little help, he argues, "we can show that what we do is powerful enough" and participate in fairs that serve as a showcase for creation. "But we lack money, artists need money to continue building your future," claims Burbano. Because, as he points out, "we create today the heritage of tomorrow".

The exhibition will be open to the public until Wednesday 21 May, from Tuesday to Friday, from 10am to 2pm and from 4 to 7pm; and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, from 11am to 2pm and from 3 to 6pm.