Back at the end of 2023 it was announced that the internationally renowned street artist Okuda San Miguel would be creating a distinctive makeover of the Calle Santa Agnes – the main thoroughfare of San Antonio’s famous West End.
There was the obligatory outcry from the usual suspects and a heated debate ensued. As is normal with the West End nobody could agree if it was a good/bad idea, money well invested/wasted or whether it was worth the hassle.
The debate raged and in the meantime the work was put back and the deadline was missed. The West End carried on as usual doing what it does and the idea was put on ice until now.
But San Antonio mayor Marcos Serra wouldn’t let it lie and now the idea has become a reality. When I spoke to the mayor at Christmas I asked why he wanted to do it so much and with a glint in his eye he said ‘it was a crazy idea’ but it was worth a go.
Okuda San Miguel is famous for graffiti style geometric structures and multicolored prints. It’s edgy street art and finally the sails are up, the floor is being prepared and the West End is taking on a new funky image.
Even the most belligerent of voices are starting to soften as social media is alive with photos. The cost is a relatively small at around 300.000 euros paid for by European funds and the work will cover 160 metres of street that the artist will paint ten metres at a time.
The local council hope that the colourful work will be the first step towards regenerating the town centre and turn the West End into a place that can be visited 365 days a year. It’s a bold move and one in reality that has little jeopardy attached to it.
If it fails then we can say nothing ventured nothing gained but if it succeeds then the upside is invaluable for San Antonio going forward and will give it a strong identity.
Opinions are changing every day and as the vision becomes reality, is that positivity I can feel in the air? The negative Nigel’s will always be there but in the Mayors own words. What’s the worst that could happen.
The West End will always be a polarising place but the new energy that Okuda San Miguel has brought to the streets with his art might just be a tipping point.
The final words must go to the artist himself “Personally, it is a very powerful project that is a challenge because it is the first time I have made a floor in combination with fabrics, I also feel that for the first time people can enter the street and immerse themselves in my identity in a work I’m doing with great enthusiasm for Ibiza,”
MAN IN SAN AN by Martin Makepeace 