Begin your street-art themed exploration of Madrid from a location in the city center in either the morning or afternoon. Join your guide as you begin your excursion by heading to La Neomudéjar, located just a 5-minute walk from the trip starting point.
As you walk, pass by the ‘big-headed babies’ monument in front of Atocha train station as you walk past avante garde art center that now resides in the transport hub’s Mediodía metro station. The center is known for hosting a variety of photographic exhibits and gallery shows.
Continue your street art adventure by wandering around La Neomudéjar, a one-time power plant that used to help power the train station back in the 19th century. Today, a range of national and international artists like Himen, Ze Carrión, and Laguna626 have reclaimed the space. Many of the artists use their work to protest against Spanish article 626, a law which tries to penalize graffiti creators.
Proceed from La Neomudéjar to your second stop at La Tabacalera, a former warehouse used in the 19th century by over 1,000 workers to chop, shred and roll tobacco products. Today, La Tabacalera hosts a performance space, used by Madrid creatives to showcase dancing, singing and painting exhibitions. You’ll also take a trip down to La Tabacalera’s basement, where hundreds of street art projects and stencils line its walls.
Finish your trip by heading to ‘Campo de Cebada,’ (The Barley Field) a combination public gathering space and community art project. It owes its origins to Spain’s ’15-M Movement,’ during which the country’s citizens recaptured public streets and squares for communal use. While Campo de Cebada was once the home for a swimming pool, today local associations have reorganized the space into a gathering place for local residents to watch movies in the summer, listen to music or plant vegetables in a collective garden.
You’ll finish your tour at Campo de Cebada.
