With the initiative “Las Estrellas del Camino”, Estrella Galicia pays tribute to the people who keep the spirit of the Camino de Santiago alive along the route, those who accompany the pilgrims’ journey with their life stories, and make it an unforgettable experience.
The Galician artist Mon Devane puts faces to some of the real protagonists of the Xacobeo route via a series of murals that will form a huge art gallery of 140 km on the last seven stages of the French Way.
After an eleven year absence, 2021 is Xacobeo Year and Estrella Galicia has set out to pay homage to the true protagonists of the Camino de Santiago, that is, to all those who for hundreds of years have welcomed and kept alive the spirit of the route, accompanying the pilgrims’ along a journey that becomes an unforgettable experience.
To achieve this, the brand inaugurates “Las Estrellas del Camino”, the most extensive art exhibition in the world, with a journey of 140 kilometers that runs along the last seven stages of the French Way.
It aims to be a tribute, an act of gratitude and recognition to all the people who live on the route and who have been welcoming pilgrims for generations. It is a project open to all via a unique outdoor gallery. To give shape and expression to the project, Estrella Galicia wanted to have the urban art creator, Mon Devane, in charge of bringing the proposal to life on large murals along the route. Six of them are already visible at different stages of the French Way in Galicia, and the last one is being finished these days in Compostela.
“Our goal is to give recognition to all these people who are full of generosity, with admirable values, that make it possible for the spirit of the Camino to remain. We wanted to reflect in a great way their Gazes of Resistance, those that claim their philosophy of life, their way of understanding the world and their hospitality in a different way, making their stories known as an example to all”, says Santiago Miguélez, Director of Marketing of Estrella Galicia.
A luthier, an expert historian on the Camino, a beekeeper, a Canadian in love with the route, a craftsman, a pastry maker… the protagonists of the seven murals are people open to the world, who know how to adapt to the times, but who keep fundamental values intact so that the Camino de Santiago is what it is today, and has that “something” that makes it so special and attractive to people from anywhere around the globe. The brand wants us to know these people better, their attitude and their way of perceiving the world around them.
Through this exhibition, our brand once again materializes its idea of “Resistance”, reflecting that way of thinking, of being and, above all, of acting in life, through the projection of values that match the people who are part of the exhibition and also of society in general.
The world’s largest art exhibition
Las Estrellas del Camino begins at the stage that goes from O Cebreiro to Triacastela. A key place in the history of the Camino, which continues uninterrupted along the following stages until it reaches Santiago, passing through Sarria, Portomarin, Melide, Arzua and O Pino.
Each of the seven stages of the French Way will have a mural, which will have as its protagonist a person from the place, who lives in that area, who represents the values of the route and is a clear reference in his community.
In the words of Anton Pombo, one of the protagonists: “the Camino has strength and differs from other routes because it has not severed links with tradition but has managed to maintain a common thread. The Camino gradually opened up until it had the ability to seduce people from other cultures. Today, it’s attractive for the wealth of personal experience gained, as it has a very strong capacity to transform people.”
Mon Devane’s unique talent
The hand of the Galician artist Mon Devane has been key to making this pilgrimage the most extensive artistic exhibition in the world.
The artist, whose art is expressed through large format portraits, reinforces the purpose of providing not only great beauty but a high degree of sensitivity through graffiti techniques or urban art. His ability to understand, and above all convey, the personality and gaze of each of the characters portrayed makes each of the murals show us a universe in itself.
“On a personal level, this project is the most extensive exhibition I have ever held, it is a turning point in my career. It has been a source of pride that a company like Estrella Galicia trusts my work. Right from the start, we saw that my work reflected this theme very well, because I also like to touch on customs, work, Galician traditions, that Resistance that Estrella Galicia also instills with its values. Thanks to this project I already consider myself part of the Camino”, concludes Mon Devane.
