Mariana Santos – Living Memory of Nou Barris

A mural by Mariana Santos that brings back the memory of Nou Barris through a collage of historical images, paying tribute to the role of women in the neighborhood.

The artist: Mariana Santos

Mariana Santos (Lisbon, 1995) is one of the most acclaimed muralists on today’s European scene. Her work is defined by a figurative and documentary approach that combines painting, drawing, and archival photography to explore collective memory, local identities, and overlooked stories. She has created murals in Portugal, Luxembourg, Ireland, and the United States, always with a sensitivity that connects community, history, and the urban landscape.

The artwork: “Living Memory of Nou Barris”

Location:  Carrer Platja d’Aro, 23 (Trinitat Nova), Nou Barris, Barcelona.

This mural is a tribute to memory, resilience, and the district’s elderly residents. Working with historical photographs recovered from neighborhood and community archives, the artist places Nou Barris and its history at the center of the narrative. The collage unfolds like a shared landscape of memory, while the female figure —in a listening posture— connects past and present, symbolizing the intergenerational transmission that keeps the district’s legacy alive.
Her presence is not meant as an individual portrait, but as a representation of an entire generation: women who sustained everyday life in the neighborhood, who took part in self-building processes, in local grassroots struggles, and in community care — and who today continue to embody the strength, dignity, and collective spirit of Nou Barris.

The power of the images and archival sources

The images that make up the mural’s collage come from neighborhood and community archival sources: the Historical Archive of Roquetes – Nou Barris, archives from Trinitat Nova and Torre Baró, and the photographic collections of Kim Manresa, Ginés Cuesta, and Pérez de Rozas, as well as other public documents and shared research materials.

This visual corpus gathers scenes that have shaped the district’s daily life and collective struggle: women and children at the washhouse of the Governador housing estate, children playing in the street, women hanging laundry in communal courtyards, three neighbors on the rooftop of Carrer Penyíscola with the Meridiana Avenue under construction in the background, or labor protests such as the simultaneous mobilizations of bank workers and the Harry Walker factory workforce.

Through these images, the mural activates a shared memory and recognizes the essential role of women in building strong, resilient, and cohesive communities, establishing a symbolic bridge between the neighborhood’s past and its present.

NOU Sentit Urbà: urban art in the Nou Barris distric

This intervention is part of the 18 artistic actions of the NOU Sentit Urbà project, promoted by Barcelona City Council and produced by Rebobinart, with the collaboration of the Nou Barris District and local neighborhood communities.
The project recovers collective memories and local identities through murals, installations, and participatory processes, addressing themes such as older age, sustainability, migration, neighborhood women, vernacular architecture, or sport as a force for cohesion. Each intervention adds a piece to Nou Barris’ shared story, reinforcing the value of memory and the role of urban art as a tool for social transformation.