María Peña coto - mapecoo
María Peña Coto (1989), known as Mapecoo in the street, is a Spanish artist with a dense trajectory of exhibitions, mural projects, grants and awards that draw attention for their international extensions.
She is graduate in Fine Arts by the University of Madrid, studies that she completed between Sao Paulo and London, supported by different grants. That is how she started travelling and how she ended embracing a nomadic lifestyle.
María has exhibited, led art projects and done art residencies in New York, Lisbon, Bandung (Indonesia), Beijing, London, Port Prince (Haiti), Madrid, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Paris, among others. All those experiences have clearly influenced her way of understanding the world and creating. Her art works have now a strong social content, multicultural influences and they are fueled by personal experiences.
She is a multidisciplinary artist with a critical spirit who enjoys exploring the expressive possibilities of each medium, from traditional techniques such as painting or sculpture, to street art, performance and participatory art.
About her works she says that "their raison d'être is to generate curiosity and uncomfortable questions, the kind that feed the critical thinking that fosters change."
She is currently based between Paris and Copenhagen.
Recently the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias (Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias) and the Jorge Padilla Blanco Foundation have acquired works of Peña for their collections.
1. Training:
Degree in Fine Arts by the Complutense University of Madrid, studies that she completed supported by international grants, between the University of Art and Communication of São Paulo (Santander Bank Scholarship, 2011) and the University of Arts of London (Erasmus Scholarship, 2012).
Master’s Degree in International Cooperation and Development by the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, (2013-2014).
2. Awards and art residencies
2023. Art installation for the scenography of a theater play premiered at the Merida Fest and directed by Vivi Tellas, Yucatán, Mexico.
2022. Selected for the award Prix d’Art Urbain Pébéo-Fluctuart, Paris
2021. European Union’s project Street Heart with four other artists from Europe and Africa. Each artist painted a 120 m² wall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
2020. Art Residency at Le M![lieu], Sault, France (20 days)
2020. Open Studio and art residency at Rivoli 59, Paris (6 months)
2019. Second award XLII Concurso de pintura Casimiro Sainz
2018. Itinerant art residency REFEST, Images & Words on Refugee Routes. An artistic approach to the stories of refugees. Co-financed by Creative Europe.
2017. First prize Asturias de Artes Plásticas for a young and outstanding professional art career by the Government of Asturias, Spain.
2016. Art Residency at Shangyuan Art Museum, Beijing, China.
2016. Awarded at Muestra de Artes Plásticas de Asturias
2016. Art Residency at Zaratan - Contemporary Art Center, Lisbon, Portugal.
2015. Indonesian Arts and Culture Scholarship (IACS), organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia. Bali, Indonesia.
3. Selection of solo exhibitions
2023. Urbanas. Caicoya Gallery, Oviedo, Spain.
2022. Hybrid Identities. Solo exhibition with a program of events bringing together various international artists. Galerie Le Génie de la Bastille, Paris.
2019. Oke. Caicoya Gallery, Oviedo, Spain.
2019. Naturaleza Urbana. Casa do Brasil, Madrid, Spain
2017. Personæ. Sala Borrón curated by Luis Feás, Oviedo, Spain.
2017. H. Gabrielle, Lorient, France. (Interceltique Festival de Lorient)
2017. La Stanza, Gijón, Spain.
2016. Clandestinas. Casa Municipal de Cultura de Avilés, Spain.
2016. Down to Earth. Contemporary Art Center ZARATÁN. Lisbon.
2013. Borders. Casa Mezcal Gallery. New York, EEUU.
2014. Behind Walls Rearte Gallery, Vienna, Austria.
2011. Realegalidad. Art and cultural centerTabacalera. Madrid.
4. Selection of group exhibitions and art fairs
2023. Art fair Arte Oviedo with Caicoya Gallery Oviedo, Spain
2021. 59 Rivoli Gallerie, 59 Bis, Paris, France
2020. Abartium Gallery, Colectiva Contemporánea, Barcelona.
2018. JUSTLX Lisbon with Caicoya Gallery. Portugal.
2018. Fuenteovejuna curated by Luis Feás and the Ópera of Oviedo at Trascorrales, Spain.
2017. Miami New Festival 2017 Art Media Gallerie, Miami, USA.
2017. Art is not that serious. Space Koala in Tiajin, China.
2016. El Fiasco del Fisco. Centro Cibeles. Organized by Oxfam Intermon, Madrid, Spain.
2016. Contemporary Art MuSEUM “Shangyuan”. Beijing, China.
2015. Festival IACS. Bandung, Indonesia.
2013. Galery Greenpoint. New York, USA.
2013. Hotel Empire. New York, USA.
2012. East Gallery. Brick Lane, London, England.
5.Last walls / Street art projects
2023. Mural Urban jungle 85m², Loom by Reku Gallery, Madrid.
2023. Mural Women painting woman 12m², Colors Festival Paris.
2023. Ephemeral mural and scenography for the theater play Exilia directed by Vivi Tellas and premiered in the Merida Fest, Yucatán, México.in Merida Fest, Yucatán, México.
2022. Oye, mira... Participative street art project in rural areas supported by Filare accesible. Cáceres, Spain.
2022. CREA Alcobendas by Madrid Street Art Project.
2022. Salir de la Trinchera, Festival FOCART, Avilés, Spain.
2022. Alexandra 15m², Festival Pinta Malasaña, Madrid.
2021. Chi ispira resiste 80m², Sciara, Scile, Italy, projet I art Madonie.
2021. La tierra tiene música para los que escuchan 76m2, Sciara, Scily, Italy
2021. La mujer migrante 75m², Gijón. Fundación de cultura from Gijón, Spain.
2021. Creart Barrio. Participative mural 85m². Fundación de cultura Gijón, Spain.
2021. Street Heart. 120 m², Addis-Abeba, Éthiopie. European Union.
2021. Wild Rivoli. 55m², Paris. 59 Rivoli Asociation.
2021. De génération en génération, Sault, France. Sault City Hall.
6. Others
Beyond her artistic experience, María has led projects between the artistic and the social, such as ReplanteART (2018), a community development project with women in Haiti, and Realegalidad (2011) with teenagers in a favela in Brazil. She has also worked with creative resources in the Cañada Real in Madrid with Arquitectura Sin Fronteras or participated in the REFEST project of Europa Creativa, coordinated in Spain by the Fundación Montemadrid, about migrations treated from the point of view of art.
7. Lectures
2021 Speaker at Les Rencontres de la Sorbonne sur Des cultures migrantes à une société multiculturelle
2020 Art for Change Event organizer and speaker at the American University of Paris.
2019 Speaker at Heforshe, Arte y Género (Art & Gender) at the Univ. of Oviedo, Spain.
2018 Speaker at Eva tiene la culpa. Arte y violencia de género (It is Eva’s fault. Art and gender-based violence) at Museo de Bellas Artes de Oviedo, organized by the goverment of Asturias, Spain.
2018 Speaker at Observatorio de Desigualdad de Andalucía (Equality Observatory of Andalusia)