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Follow my dreams

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Follow my dreams
A mural showing Alexia Putellas dressed as Superwoman
The mural in May 2023
ArtistTVBoy
Year2022; re-painted 2023
TypeMural
LocationGràcia, Barcelona, Spain

Follow my dreams,[1] also known as Super Alexia,[2][3][4] was a mural by Italian street artist TVBoy, located in Barcelona. Originally painted in 2022, it depicted footballer Alexia Putellas as Superwoman, celebrating women as well as Putellas' individual and team success. The original was redesigned in 2023, before being replaced in 2024 when TVBoy created a new mural featuring multiple women's footballers (including Putellas as Superwoman) on the wall.[5]

TVBoy was inspired to create the mural by his daughter. It was painted in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Gràcia and was vandalised and repaired several times.

Background and design

Italian street artist TVBoy has been based in Barcelona for many years.[6] In March 2022,[6] TVBoy's young daughter told him that she wanted to be a footballer like Alexia Putellas, the Ballon d'Or winner and captain of FC Barcelona Femení. The team's success in that month and his daughter's words served as inspiration for TVBoy to create a mural of Putellas that would inspire other girls.[7][8] He unveiled the mural on Father's Day in March 2022.[7] It was located on carrer de l'Escorial (by Joanic)[9] in Gràcia, a neighbourhood in Barcelona that is home to iconic street art and architecture,[10][11] and that is supportive of feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, reasons TVBoy felt it was ideal for the mural of Putellas.[12]

The location previously featured a different TVBoy mural, of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona painted after his death;[8][9] the Maradona mural had received some negative responses.[7] TVBoy had painted Maradona as "half saint, half devil" to reflect his issues, but said that when he learned more of Maradona's controversies he wanted to replace it with artwork honouring a woman, that "[he] thought it was a good message that this time a woman was the champion, the star".[12]

Initially, the mural depicted Putellas as Superwoman, wearing a Barcelona shirt with an "A" in a heart on the chest like a superhero crest, and a red cape. The background was lilac to represent feminism and featured the slogan "follow your dreams".[10][11] In September 2023, following Spain's victory at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and repeated vandalism of the original, TVBoy and his daughter redesigned the mural. In the renovated mural, Putellas was depicted wearing a cape and holding up her hands in the shape of a heart. Her shirt and the background of the mural were painted in blue, red and gold — a mix of the colours of FC Barcelona and the senyera. The slogan was replaced with "Labor omnia vincit improbus", reflecting the title of Putellas' documentary Alexia: Labor Omnia Vincit.[1][13]

Vandalism

The mural was praised for reflecting in art and society the growing views that "heroes no longer need to be men" and that football is not only for men.[14] Despite Putellas and the mural both being popular in Barcelona, it was vandalised,[10] first in June 2022, with TVBoy fixing it and sharing the message "haters, we never surrender" on social media.[15] In January 2023 it was defaced with graffiti of lesbophobic slurs and misogynistic comments;[10][16] TVBoy was in Ukraine at the time, but restored it again in February.[11] An image of the vandalised mural was shown at the "Jugo com una nena!" (transl. Play like a girl) exhibition at the Palau Robert in summer 2023, illustrating insults and stereotypes of female athletes. The image is displayed on a wall that is placed as a physical barrier on a running track, which visitors to the exhibition can break down.[17][18]

The redesigned mural was vandalised in January 2024, with La Vanguardia writing this was because of social tensions over Putellas' increased feminist activism.[19]

Removal

In May 2024, TVBoy created a new mural in honour of the Barcelona Femení team – who that month had won the 2024 UEFA Women's Champions League final to complete a continental quadruple – to replace Follow my dreams. The 2024 mural was described as new;[5] the 2023 redesign had been described by TVBoy as a renovation of the same original mural.[13] The new mural still featured Putellas as Superwoman, also incorporating images of teammates Aitana Bonmatí as Wonder Woman and Salma Paralluelo as Batgirl.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Muñoz, Miquel (2023-10-24). "L'artista italià que dibuixa Alexia Putellas a les parets de Barcelona". Ara.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  2. ^ TVBoy (20 March 2022). Super Alexia in Barcelona.
  3. ^ "TVBoy cambia a Maradona por Alexia Putellas en un mural de Gràcia". El Español (in Spanish). 2022-03-20. Archived from the original on 2023-06-01. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  4. ^ "Vandalizan el mural de Alexia Putellas con proclamas machistas y homófobas: "Ni fútbol, ni femenino"". Público. 2023-01-25. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  5. ^ a b c "Les superheroïnes del Barça arriben a Gràcia". 3Cat (in Catalan). 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2024-05-31. ...l'artista TVBOY ha pintat un nou mural a la plaça Joanic de la Vila de Gràcia.
  6. ^ a b "Dibujo mural de Alexia del pintor Tvboy". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2022-03-18. Archived from the original on 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  7. ^ a b c "Tot costa - Tv Boy: "El mural de l'Alexia, amb el 'Follow your dreams', és per encoratjar les noves generacions"". CCMA (in Catalan). 22 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Barcelona mural honors Putellas after record breaking Clasico". La Prensa Latina Media. 2022-03-31. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  9. ^ a b "Un mural d'Alexia Putellas pren el lloc de Maradona a Gràcia". beteve.cat (in Catalan). 2022-03-18. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  10. ^ a b c d "Lamentables insultos a Alexia Putellas en un mural de Barcelona". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 2023-01-25. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  11. ^ a b c "Tvboy restaura el mural que dedicó a Alexia Putellas y fue vandalizado con insultos lesbófobos". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2023-02-12. Archived from the original on 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  12. ^ a b "TvBoy convierte a Alexia Putellas en un icono del arte urbano en Barcelona". Yahoo Sports (in Spanish). 2022-03-31. Archived from the original on 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  13. ^ a b TVBOY (24 September 2023). "Mi hija y yo hemos decidido renovar el mural dedicado a #Alexia Putellas en Barcelona para que siga inspirando a las nuevas generaciones. ¡Con el esfuerzo todos los sueños se pueden conseguir!" (in Spanish) – via X (Twitter).
  14. ^ "¿Qué hace un caballo en esta casa de Terrassa?". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2023-06-24. Archived from the original on 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  15. ^ Benintende, Salvatore (14 June 2022). "Working overtime to fix @alexiaputellas mural in Barcelona. Haters, we never surrender". Twitter. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022.
  16. ^ "Vandalitzat amb insults homòfobs el mural d'Alèxia Putellas a Barcelona". CCMA (in Catalan). 2023-01-23. Archived from the original on 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  17. ^ "Vilagrà inaugura l'exposició 'Jugo com una nena!' que busca reivindicar l'esport femení". Govern.cat (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  18. ^ "Jugo com una nena! (Fins al 25 de setembre)". Palau Robert (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  19. ^ ""Z*rra", el vergonzoso insulto en el mural de Alexia Putellas de Barcelona". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
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