Super Alexia

Super Alexia
A mural showing Alexia Putellas dressed as Superwoman
The mural in May 2023
ArtistTVBoy
Year2022
TypeMural
LocationGràcia, Barcelona, Spain

Super Alexia[1][2][3] is a 2022 mural by Italian street artist TVBoy, located in Barcelona. It depicts footballer Alexia Putellas as Superwoman, celebrating women as well as Putellas' individual and team success.

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

Background and design

Italian street artist TVBoy has been based in Barcelona for many years.[4] In March 2022,[4] 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 this month and his daughter's words served as inspiration for TVBoy to create a mural of Putellas that would inspire other girls.[5][6] He unveiled Super Alexia on Father's Day in March 2022.[5] It is located on carrer de l'Escorial (by Joanic)[7] in Gràcia, a neighbourhood in Barcelona that is home to iconic street art and architecture,[8][9] and that is supportive of feminism and LGBTQ+ rights, reasons TVBoy felt it was ideal for the mural of Putellas.[10]

The location previously featured a different TVBoy mural, of Argentine footballer Diego Maradona painted after his death;[6][7] the Maradona mural had received some negative responses.[5] 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".[10]

Super Alexia depicts 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 is lilac to represent feminism and features the slogan "follow your dreams".[8][9]

Vandalism

Comments from the vandalised mural used as a physical barrier at a women's sport exhibition in 2023[11][12]

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.[13] Despite Putellas and the mural both being popular in Barcelona, it has been vandalised,[8] first in June 2022, with TVBoy fixing it and sharing the message "haters, we never surrender" on social media.[14] In January 2023 it was defaced with graffiti of lesbophobic slurs and misogynistic comments;[8][15] TVBoy was in Ukraine at the time, but restored it again in February.[9] 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.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ TVBoy (20 March 2022). Super Alexia in Barcelona.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b "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.
  12. ^ a b "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.
  13. ^ "¿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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "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.