ESCIF LASHES OUT AGAINST TOURISTS

The gentrification phenomenon that cities like Madrid or Barcelona are suffering are also seeing consequences in Valencia. True to his social messages, Escif wanted to get us contemplating on the subject with his latest intervention in the streets of the Valencian capital.

Considering the growing flux of tourists as a new audience that needs to be adapted to, the controversial artist wanted to share one of the city’s least attractive characteristics with these new visitors: the pests. Camouflaged as if it were an advertisement, Escif demonstrates the parasitic ecosystem: rats, fleas, cockroaches, beetles…

This idea however, is pushed into the background with respect to the mural’s first impression. It’s inevitable to make a link between the invasive animal plagues and the human plagues of insatiable tourists who mass-consume the city, altering the wellfare of its citizens.

“As part of the festivilization of the cities, some spontaneos have created street art guided visits to discover the murals and graffiti of the city. As is happening in other sectors, neighborhood culture disparages local habitants, seduced by the apparent profitability of growing tourism. Bread for today, hunger for tomorrow.“