Elisa Capdevila studied painting and drawing at the Barcelona Academy of Arts. Gradually, she began transferring her work to walls, eventually creating large-scale projects that have earned her international recognition. She has participated in various urban art festivals and currently combines mural work with studio practice. Elisa has collaborated with Rebobinart on several occasions, including at the Uso Barcelona festival and the Trànsit Walls project.
You studied classical painting at the Barcelona Academy of Arts. What led you to move from canvas painting to creating artwork in public spaces?
I started painting murals for fun when a friend who painted both on canvas and walls suggested we paint a mural together. From there, I kept practicing, both on my own and with others.
How has your classical painting training influenced the evolution of your style and technique?
My training has a significant impact on my work. I place great importance on aspects that can only be achieved through technical knowledge, such as the use of color, proportions, and the type of brushstroke I use. However, I am increasingly trying to free myself from the rigidity of technique.
Your work depicts human figures in a highly realistic style. What connection exists between the people you paint and your personal vision and experience of the world?
In most of my murals, the protagonists are people from my own surroundings, as that is where I find inspiration. My art remains closely connected to the way I experience the world. I explore topics that interest me and represent them through the people around me. I address themes such as relationships, motherhood, and childhood.
Your works often portray scenes of social life, from motherhood to interactions with nature. Do you think people can more easily empathize with realistic art that they can identify with?
On one hand, I think being able to recognize elements in a painting and finding them familiar is an important factor in empathizing with a work. On the other hand, I believe abstract art connects with viewers in a different way, one that is closely tied to sensations and emotions and is very powerful. However, I would not necessarily use the word “empathize” in that case.
Your murals generally feature female protagonists. What does the female figure represent in your work? Do you identify with feminism?
My work reflects my reality. Female figures are highly present in my environment, and I often find inspiration in them for different themes. Yes, I identify with feminism, and I experience it in a very reflective way. We are fighting to change external structures, and progress is being made little by little. However, I am also aware that we carry within us the weight of years of conditioning about what it means to be a woman. I believe much of the work lies there: in recognizing the parts of ourselves that act according to that conditioning and giving them new meanings.
At a time when feminism is highly visible, as a female artist, would you say your work has ever been affected by being a woman?
I think there has been a strong interest in recent years in ensuring women are represented within the urban art scene. Personally, from the very beginning, I have felt that there has been interest in my work as an artist, and I believe it has been—and increasingly is—valued.
However, it is inevitable that at some point in my career I have been affected by being a woman, since I encounter people with all kinds of mindsets. I can honestly say that in certain situations, being a woman has affected me negatively.
Working in public spaces often involves a direct connection with a place and its residents. In 2019, you painted a community mural with senior residents in the La Florida neighborhood of L’Hospitalet (Barcelona). What was the process of building a relationship with this group like? What role did the preliminary work with the seniors play in the mural’s conceptualization?
The community process with the seniors of La Florida involved spending several hours with them to learn about their lives in the neighborhood and their perspectives on the stage of life they were experiencing—old age. I wanted them to help guide me toward an idea for the mural. I asked questions, we discussed different topics, and by the end of the sessions I had many possible ideas for the mural. Later, I met with the group again for a photo session, which served as a reference for the final artwork.
The preliminary work was extremely important in helping me approach the mural’s subject matter: older age. Personally, I had not had my grandparents close to me since I was very young, so doing this prior research was especially meaningful.
Although in recent years you have focused more on producing work in public spaces, you also create studio paintings on canvas. Would you say that creating in public space adds value to your personal and professional experience? If so, in what way?
Yes. When you paint in the street, you know your work will naturally have an impact and become part of the daily life of a neighborhood. In my opinion, this creates a greater sense of responsibility than studio work when deciding what to represent. On a personal level, painting in public spaces has also enriched me greatly because it creates many connections.
Finally, why do you think there has been an increase in urban art projects at both local and national levels in recent years?
I think part of it is because urban art has become a trend in its own right. However, I also believe the increase is natural because people have discovered that it is a very powerful tool on many levels: from making art accessible to everyone rather than confining it to specific spaces, to its influence on tourism, and even its potential as a tool for social change.
