Street Painting Team... : Mural-Illustration artist, Martanoemi Noriega

Street Painting Team Meets.... Mural-Illustration artist, Martanoemi Noriega ( MARTA)

"Mi mejor ángulo"
BONART
MIXED MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL
10 DE OCTUBRE

With the opportunity of our new project “Breaking” the wall, we had the time to talk with our first guest Martanoemi Noriega from Panama, about her murals and her life in Crete as an artist.

Fragmento de Mural para Festival Abierto

What brought you in Crete?

I met my lover six years ago in Malaysia, as we were both working there. Our dream was to make a road trip to Italy , Corsica and then Greece. We wanted to move to a place near the sea where i can grow my own vegetables. This type of dream you make when you retired, although we end up in Crete and i really loved it. Normally, i do not plan in a long term. I know at least what i'm gonna do tomorrow, but we managed and found a piece of land in Agia Galini, so here i am now after two years in Crete.

Martanoemí Noriega

What is your job here?

My main job is Illustration of books, and i was a Muralist in Panama. Here i do some Murals but not as main job. I keep doing illustration, working by internet , i keep working for Panama.

I would like to join and work for a company here as well, like making illustration for childrens books or any type of editorials.

I have been working an illustration about my travelling around,for the first time something like diary.

Martanoemi Noriega

How you end up making Murals?

I was a painter for some time, i worked with Galleries, and i used to do occasionally murals for some restaurants.

I went to the University of Arts in Panama, but after all i found my real University in a street artist. Justiniani is his name, he is not muralist but he sales his paintning in the streets. For me he is one of the most wised and most intelligent person i have ever met. I read his books and sat beside him doing my "University".

Justiniani

In the cultural Olympic games in England, we were artists from around the world and i represent my group of people as a Muralist.So i ended up with all these muralist from other countries going out of the event to paint all together a Park in London. That was a life changing experience for me.

Nottingham, England

What is the motivation for a person that invest time, materials, energy, to paint something in the street knowing that may last for a few days...? I do not think he /she wants to be famous it is something else.

BOLIVIA

I came back to Panama and started paint murals in a very forgotten area of the country. I thought ,here is easier and noone will call the police or will care to erase it. Later i found out i been paintning in very dangerous streets, but during the time i was there, people were just thankfull and happy. As an artist i was high in a cloud, then i went down to talk with the people and asking for opinions,painting out in the street i never felt more close to people as in these moments.

Un mural parte de la campaña contra el trabajo infantil

I was talking to people that they did not had any education in art, but because you work in the street they really feel that they have the permission to tell you what they really believe.

In Galleries you wont get that...No one will come to tell you: "Why you do not change that? Maybe red will be better". People , because they are in a Gallery they want to look intelligent. I prefer this honesty out of the walls.

Costa Rica y Panamá

What about your protest murals?

The art in public places gives you the opportunity to make people think. I work with refugees for a long time in Panama, i know that, no one leaves his family to be a refugee. Is a very dificult thing to be a refugee in Panama, if you get to be one , and you won't get stuck in a jail, waiting for someone to tell you what they will do with you.One of my protest murals had to do with this.

This murals is not about beauty, they are dramatic. Is to show that some people, they are not vacations, they are not tourists...they are running away of something very dangerous.

"El Chanchito Millonario"

Our Goverment trying to ignore the situation as more as they can. Panama is full of advertising, everywhere. Even in the toilets, there is always something around to push you to be a consumer, not to make you think or question. Street art is the opposite, is there to make you not to need to buy anything.

Did you do mural in Crete?

Here the people are not so into the mural situation yet. I was ready for this when i came, but then i think as most as i can do the easier it will become later. This is one of my missions now!

The people are not always ready to accept your proposals, i would also like to portrait things that are related with the culture here. I think that is very important if the painting do "talk" to the viewer. If is not, then it will always be a foreigner painting.

What is your opinion about the woman figure?

I have a lot of opinions about women's place. I was working in places that they did not remembered my name , but they remembered my lover's name. I have been painting for the hole day in a restaurant, in the end of the day my lover came to pick me up and they told him , "Bravo this is really nice Frederico good for her". And Frederico is not easier than my name Marta. It's ok, i lived in Malaysia where the people they do not give me their hand to say: " Nice to meet you". Like here i am working alone, i expose myself outside painting by my own,.This is already a statement.

I would like also to start portait the Cretan woman figure, everywhere you go is the Cretan old guy with the knife, where is the female Cretan figure? Even in the photos is always the man. Cretan women are also part of the history. People think that is only the man who fought in the war,...Yes , but what he was eating? No one can fight with empty stomach, he could rest and be ready again because the woman had everything else ready for him. I am not really ready for this i have to study more and make my research , i have it in my plans.

Any plans for the future here?

Well, i need to learn Greek.! This is not hard because of the language, but i need to decide, if i am staying in one place. Because i do not speak Greek for the two years i am living here i feel i missed all the fun.

"Breakin" the wall

I would like to paint more murals. I am happy that Street Painting Team invited me to paint a mural in Matala. a part of my goals became real. I really believe in group work and solidarity, i had to meet my tribe, the rest of people that are also investing energy and time to do what they love.