The Spanish art collective Reskate Studio, based in Barcelona, has recently completed three large-scale public art projects entitled: “Connectivity” in China, “Domestication” in Austria and finally “The Peace of Belmonte” in Portugal. The murals are a continuation of the studio’s “Harreman” series and aim to illuminate the dark corners of cities and stimulate conversation between the public and the artwork on local issues. Through the use of lights, the viewer becomes an active participant by interacting with the work and creating his own response to these actions.

At night, each of the murals illuminates a hidden illustration, painted with a photo-luminescent medium, which provides a new perspective on the neighborhood. With the help of the community art centers, Reskate Studio was able to get an idea of the different cultures and create appropriate messages behind the artwork.

“Connectivity“, the first mural, is located in a public parking lot in Shenzhen, China, and highlights the exponential growth of the community that was once a small fishing village of about 30,000 residents. Within a decade, the Chinese city has become the hub of the mobile phone industry and home to 12 million residents. Reskate Studio questions the role of social networking – a tool that connects civilians but also puts individual privacy at risk. The hidden koi carp invites locals to look back and reflect on when social networks were not so widespread.

Painted on the Wien Museum in Vienna, Austria, “Domestication” represents an indigenous dog breed, the Bracke Tiroler. Known for its natural predatory instinct to hunt wild foxes, the mastiff has always been exploited by humans throughout history. At night, the dog’s silhouette reveals two foxes fighting each other.

Reskate Studio’s latest mural, “The Peace of Belmonte“, is dedicated to Jews living in the town of Belmonte, Portugal and celebrates the integrity of the community during the Portuguese Inquisition. For five centuries, the Jewish community had to live with their habits of clandestinity. At night, the illustration of the tree root turns into a handshake to symbolize the respect and tolerance that the inhabitants of the town have shown the Jewish community.