Argentine street artist Camila Calderón (known as CEB) has helped inmates transform a women’s prison in Azul, Buenos Aires by painting a new mural. She spoke with Buenos Aires Street Art about the project and experience.
New “transformative” mural at Unit 52 Penitentiary in Azul
The new artwork entitled “My Inner Child” measures 5m x 8m and was painted by a group of 25 women inside Unit 52 Penitentiary in Azul under the supervision CEB together with Father Andrés Pérez and Corporal Ezequiel Trueba.
Women at the prison in Azul painting together
The mural was completed during six days in February with the women painting up to six hours a day. It was organised and sponsored by the Ministry of Justice Education Department as part of a social and cultural project.
CEB (above right) together with the team of women marking lines & outlines
The design is inspired from a poem created by the inmates during a writing workshop led by Ezequiel Trueba. In the poem, the women captured their feelings and what they wanted to express through words. And the idea of the mural was to translate those words into a visual language.
Mural features a woman embracing her inner child
The theme of the mural relates to ‘inner child’ healing that is a way of connecting with one’s true self as an infant to help heal the younger part of your psyche that still influences how you think, feel, and react as an adult. CEB explained: “The poem is about what an adult woman says to her inner child. She gives her the love and words she needed but didn’t receive at the time. It’s a way of reinterpreting past experiences and transforming those feelings through love and acceptance, now from an adult perspective. That’s why there’s a woman embracing that child from her past, accompanied by colorful elements like mandalas and flowers.”
CEB: “Wonderful moments, conversations & drinking maté”
“It was a beautiful experience,” recalls CEB. “Very exciting and we shared some wonderful moments. Not just painting, but also the conversations and drinking maté together. For me, it was also transformative, and it fills me with joy to be able to leave a message through art. And that art itself can be a tool for transformation, not only of the physical space but also of our inner selves.”
CEB (above right) in front of the completed mural
CEB said the women at the prison getting the chance to paint the mural was special for them. “They were so happy, so excited,” she said. “The whole process was beautiful, and the inauguration was too. We all carried a wonderful experience in our hearts. More than anything, they were happy about how the space has been transformed. The energy of the colours and their vibrancy changes everything. From having a grey wall that says nothing, to having a mural that represents them all with vibrant colours can have a profound impact.”
All photos © CEB and published with permission from the artist
