The 18th Edition of the Asalto Festival: La Jota Neighbourhood takes Centre Stage, 2023

The 18th edition of the Asalto Festival has come to a successful close, with the La Jota neighbourhood as its centrepiece. This year’s festival featured a full schedule of workshops, guided tours, documentaries and experiences, and the participation of residents was essential to its success.

The festival has become an emblematic cultural event in Zaragoza, and this edition saw the arrival of artists worldwide. The old streets of La Jota were brought to life by Taroe (France), Stelios Pupet (Greece), Giulio Vesprini (Italy), Ceciro (Uruguay), Miguel Hcuar (Zaragoza, Spain), Anetta Lujkanova (Finland) and 3DFITI (France).

Over ten days, from September 15th to 24th, the Asalto Festival explored various neighbourhoods in Zaragoza and brought its unique vision and creativity to new and exciting spaces. This edition’s program was complete, returning to the festival’s pre-pandemic glory with workshops, guided tours, tournaments, and documentaries.

The Asalto Fair also returned this year, bringing local and national artists together through an art fair. Several documentaries were screened, including Carlos Saura’s “Las paredes hablan,” and Boa Mistura’s documentary “Crossroads”, which premiered at the festival. Additionally, this year, the festival featured the Underground Tournament of Petanque and the Asalto Sonoro, an innovative way to bring musical experimentation closer to art.

Taroe

Taroe is a talented artist with a passion for graffiti. His unique artistic project involves capturing an image of the previous country where he has painted. His latest work for Asalto was inspired by a working-class neighbourhood in the United States that closely resembles the La Jota neighbourhood where it is located. Taroe’s next artistic destination is to paint Zaragoza when he plans to create his next mural, fusing cultures and neighbourhoods.

Stelios Pupet

Stelios Pupet is a talented artist who recently completed his first large-scale work in Spain. His artwork features a striking female figure, a recurring theme. One of the most notable aspects of his style is his use of pixelation as a representation, which adds a clean and modern element to his art.

Anetta Lujkanova

Anetta Lujkanova is a gifted artist whose paintings are filled with rich symbolism and deep meaning. Her latest work, which centres around awakening dreams, is particularly captivating. In the painting, castanets represent the rhythm set by the deer that appear in the centre of the composition, alluding to the neighbourhood and the city’s folklore.

Giulio Vesprini

Giulio Vesprini is a talented artist who has studied Fine Arts and Architecture. His latest mural pays tribute to the garden area in the neighbourhood of “La Jota” and features his characteristic style of including a word and a number as an element of continuity. Giulio’s attention to detail and ability to incorporate elements of the local culture into his work has earned him a dedicated following in the art world.

“My latest work for the Asalto festival in Zaragoza. In the magical “La Jota” neighbourhood (en el barrio La Jota). A place full of history and architecture. In ancient projects, there was talk of building houses of not many square meters of surface area but with a garden or an orchard like a real garden city where the inhabitants take care of the external spaces for the community’s well-being. The entire housing project in an industrial area was drawn up in 1947 to provide affordable homes for workers in the area. It takes its name from the construction company that built the houses, “Obras y Construcciones Damán”, which was located on Avenida Castaluña, designed by architects José Beltrán and Fausto García Marco.”

Giulio Vesprini

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Ceciro

Ceciro is a graphic design graduate and illustrator committed to women’s emancipation and uses her art to raise awareness about this important topic. Her latest creation features three women in different stages of life.

Miguel Hcuar

Miguel Hcuar is a contemporary designer and artist from Zaragoza, now based in London. His pop style is enriched with abundant graphic and visual resources, surrounded by a beautiful natural environment.

3dfiti

3dfiti is an innovative artistic project that has taken the world by storm. This exciting initiative merges creativity with technology, using 3D printing to bridge the physical and virtual worlds. The project is essentially a treasure hunt game that involves finding 12 pieces of 3D art hidden during the festival. Participants have been keeping a close eye on their social networks in order to be the first to discover these amazing pieces.

Espacio Asalto

They have been joined by other artists such as Tintaentera, Ruvitijeras, Carla Nicolás, Inés Marco, Twee Muizen, Javier Carrera “Cuco”, Fabiola Correas, Asis Percales, Mejor Sordo and Manteca Session, among others, to complete the “Espacio Asalto”.

Asalto Festival

This year’s edition has been particularly special, with an impressive array of artists and exhibits that have enticed visitors from all over. As the festival draws to a close, the Asalto Festival team is already looking towards the future, putting their minds and efforts towards the confirmed nineteenth edition. With the same passion and dedication that has made this festival such a success, they are sure to bring even more beauty to the streets of Zaragoza.

For the past eighteen years, the Asalto Festival has been at the forefront of bringing art to the streets. Thanks to the support of the Zaragoza City Council and the collaboration of Tranvías de Zaragoza, Ambar, Pentel, and Montana Colours, this nomadic festival has showcased the work of over 320 artists as it tours the city. Check out the map “The legacy of the Asalto Festival throughout its editions” here.

Photo Credit Asalto Festival

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