The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, through the Department of Culture, has presented this Wednesday the giant mural in tribute to the musicians who perform in the street and, in particular, to the Dominican trumpeter Nilo Caparrosa who died last March and who for nearly a decade livened up the streets of the capital.
The artistic work, carried out by ‘Sabotaje al Montaje’, reproduces two passport-size photographs on a wall more than 16 meters high and almost six meters wide, a total of 95 square meters.
The presentation of the giant mural, located on the corner of Calle del Castillo and Calle Valentín Sanz where Caparrosa was performing, was presided over by the mayor of the city, José Manuel Bermúdez, who was accompanied by the musician’s children, Sislena and Israel Caparrosa; the consul general of the Dominican Republic, Katia Juliana Castillo Marte, and the artist responsible for the mural, Matías Mala.
On behalf of the municipal corporation, the councilors Evelyn Alonso and Purificación Dávila were also present.
The mayor, in his speech, was very happy for the mural tribute to the Dominican musician of whom he emphasized that “one is not always an artist and loved, and Nilo was very much loved thanks to his music, as well as his affection and friendship”.
In this street, he said, “he gave us many times with his daughter Sislena the best he could give us, which was his art, and we wanted to return that affection with this mural that has made Matias Mata, a very dear and known artist in our city, as it has a large catalog of murals”.
The Department of Culture, directed by Gladis de León, has been responsible for promoting the project that from the beginning was clear that “the city had to return to Nilo Caparrosa, as a tribute, for all his music that he had given for almost a decade in this corner so central to the city.
In his opinion, “Nilo represented a guild, such as artists who perform in the street, which are essential for the development of our city and we were clear that this wall was waiting for the mural that we have presented today.”
“THE BEST GIFT THEY COULD HAVE GIVEN US”.
For their part, the children of the deceased trumpeter were very excited and wanted to thank the City Council “and all the people who stopped to listen to the music of our father, without a doubt, it is the best gift they could have given us and we hope they enjoy it”.
The Consul General of the Dominican Republic, Katia Juliana Castillo Marte, thanked on behalf of the Dominican community the recognition “to an emblematic Dominican, who came to the Canary Islands to bring our art and our culture and who was welcomed in this city in an incredible way”.
Ten days have been used by the artist Matías Mata, from ‘Sabotaje al Montaje’, to carry out a commission from the Culture area through Gladis de León, “to whom I will always be grateful, since it is very nice that the society makes these nods to culture and people, who are the ones who feed us every day”, he stressed.
The musician’s daughter, singer Sislena Caparrosa, sang ‘Nessun Dorma’ in honor of her father.
