Núria Toll was born in Igualada, Barcelona, in 1988. She studied Design and Graphic Arts, a background that allowed her to make graphic design her profession. In 2014, thanks to Rebobinart’s Murs Lliures initiative, she began transferring her work onto walls, which led her into the world of urban art. Her style is characterized by straight lines and geometric forms through which she creates a universe of animals and nature. Her mastery of design and illustration is reflected in highly precise and carefully crafted works, distinguished by a contemporary minimalist aesthetic and a charming naïve quality.
You have a background in graphic design, but your professional career is now mainly focused on urban art. What led you to enter this creative field?
Although I am a graphic designer and spend a lot of time working on a computer, I have always tried to keep making things by hand because those are the processes I enjoy the most.
I have never stopped drawing or experimenting with new techniques, and when I discovered spray paint, I decided to try it simply out of curiosity. Having the Wallspot walls nearby was also a huge help in getting started.
Although you had already been creating artistic murals for some time, it was only last year that you decided to dedicate yourself exclusively to urban art. What drove that professional transition?
For a while, I combined mural work with other jobs, but I always knew that my ultimate goal was to dedicate myself entirely to it.
That transition period allowed me to build visibility, create a portfolio, and develop a network of contacts. As a result, when I finally decided to focus exclusively on murals, I already had experience and a clearer understanding of how to move forward professionally.
Do you think your design education played an important role in making geometry such a fundamental element of your compositions?
The geometry actually comes more from the fact that when I started painting, I felt completely incapable of controlling a spray can.
To solve that problem, I began using painter’s tape to define shapes. What started as a technical solution eventually became the basis of the style I still use today.
My design training is more closely related to other elements that I have incorporated over time, such as typography and the process I follow when creating works, since I usually prepare compositions digitally before executing them.
The subjects of your murals often combine animals or nature with typographic elements. What references have influenced your style?
In terms of illustration, there is a clear influence from the Tangram, which is a strong childhood memory for me.
I find it fascinating to create recognizable figures using geometric shapes and to experiment with how they fit together.
At the same time, I have always been drawn to the more handcrafted side of design, especially hand-drawn lettering. I remember discovering the work of Ricardo Rousselot while I was studying, and I loved it.
Everything related to calligraphy and sign painting interests me greatly, and I suppose all of those influences have gradually shaped my work.
With murals, I initially focused on illustration because it felt easier and more approachable. As I improved my technique and acquired new tools, I began looking for ways to integrate typography into my murals as well.
At a time of climate change and the extinction of plant and animal species, would you say that your work also reflects the need to protect the natural world?
I have the feeling that we live very disconnected from nature.
Physically that may not always be true, but large cities and the pace of daily life absorb us and pull us away from it.
Through my murals, I try to bring small fragments of nature back into the city and remind people that there is more beyond the gray concrete that surrounds us.
I hope that this reminder also encourages us to care for and protect it.
You often use painter’s tape to define geometric forms, which also makes it easier to create participatory murals with children. Do you think it is important to stimulate creativity through urban art? Does your creative process change when working on these projects?
Stimulating children’s creativity is incredibly important, and any activity that encourages it is essential throughout the learning process.
What I find particularly interesting about urban art is that it feels more accessible and familiar to young people than many other artistic disciplines.
They encounter street art every day near their homes; they do not need to visit a museum to experience it. That proximity naturally sparks their curiosity.
As for my creative process, I am a very perfectionist person who does not always enjoy the process of making a work. Sometimes I simply endure it until it is finished.
Working with children completely changes that perspective. They remind you how enjoyable experimentation can be and that not everything needs to be perfectly controlled.
Children are not expecting extraordinary results—they want to learn and, above all, have fun. Everything is new to them, and everything becomes a reason to celebrate. The goal is to share that experience and enjoy it together.
You have worked across a wide range of formats, including glass surfaces, shutters, textiles, caravans, and even a metro station. What does working with different supports contribute to your professional development?
Every surface presents a new challenge.
Conditions vary in each case, and you have to adapt in order to achieve a successful result, which often requires a great deal of effort.
You can control the design and the color palette, but every space brings unexpected variables: the condition of the surface, the weather if you are working outdoors, or the number of people passing by while you paint.
These factors are beyond your control, yet they influence the project. Experience is what ultimately gives you the confidence to deal with these challenges and find solutions.
You have collaborated with artists such as OVNI, Julieta XLF, Sara Fratini, and Tim Marsh. What is it like to work in synergy with other artists? How does collaboration affect the creative process?
Collaborating with other artists is always enriching because it exposes you to different ways of working and allows you to learn a great deal.
However, it is not always easy.
Each artist has their own methods and working habits, and those approaches do not always align. Beyond stylistic differences, sometimes you connect immediately and everything flows naturally, while other times it does not.
I believe those dynamics inevitably influence the final result, whether positively or negatively.
In October 2019, you created a mural in Trinitat Vella together with Anna Taratiel (OVNI) and a group of women from the neighborhood as part of the Womart project. Do you think it is important to promote artistic projects that involve only women? From your personal experience, does a different atmosphere emerge in these situations?
I believe that a sense of community is extremely important in any collective activity.
By community, I mean a neighborhood, a school, a shared ideology, or any common element that unites participants and creates a cohesive group with shared energy.
In the case of Womart, what brought everyone together was a challenge that particularly affects women. Beyond the artistic aspect, this created a strong atmosphere of solidarity and sisterhood.
Had men participated, that specific dynamic probably would not have emerged in the same way, simply because they do not experience the issue firsthand.
