On a wall in a suburb of Valencia, Alice is slowly fading away, along with the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter. All characters from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
The Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat are far from sweet and funny—they look sly, almost mean; cunning is a better word. Alice looks pale and frightened, probably because she has no lower body. The composition is well thought-out. This took effort; the White Rabbit appears on another wall. Why in such a hidden spot? You have all the time to create something, but almost no one sees your work—only the local residents. This graffiti is for the people in the neighborhood. Why Alice? We can’t ask.
Rise
This photo was taken in Cabanjal, a neighborhood in Valencia that used to be considered one of the poorer areas. Now, Cabanjal is slowly being taken over by wealthier people, drawn by the old Cuban-style houses, the cheap real estate prices, and the beach just a stone’s throw away. The original residents are being gradually pushed out of the neighborhood.
Tupac is the hero of the poor and the oppressed, which is why he fits so well in this area. I can’t place the man on the right, and the man on the left is wearing a balaclava. It can also get grim in Cabanjal. The entire image radiates resistance—resistance against a society that you cannot participate in without money, one that even takes your neighborhood away from you. It’s called gentrification.