Hankook Ilbo (Korea Daily) Publishes Feature Article on CityMuralCollective (CMC) and Grafos Collaboration

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Click the button (to the right) to read the full featured article on the CMC-Grafos collaboration in Hankook Ilbo (Korea Daily.

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While CMC and Grafos were working on our mural collaboration on October 12 in Samsung-dong, a reporter from Hankook Ilbo (Korea Daily) visited our site to observe the project. She kindly invited us for an interview to help the audience understand the significance of this meaningful partnership between young Korean and Spanish muralists. Since our primary goal is to showcase the cultural beauty of Korean art and foster communication through art, we gladly accepted the interview.

To our joy and surprise, Hankook Ilbo published a feature article highlighting the CMC-Grafos collaboration as a cultural exchange between Korean and Spanish mural artists. For those interested in more details about our project, we are pleased to share the full text of the featured article. Since the original article is written in Korea, we are providing the complete English translation for our international audience.

The English Translation of the Korea Daily Article on CMC-Grafos Collaboration

On Gangnam Walls, 'Tiger with a Spanish Mask'… K-Culture Connects Young Artists from Korea and Spain

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Korean 'City Mural Collective' and Spanish 'Grafos' Collaborate

Blending Cultural Icons and Symbolic Characters into Murals

"Although cultures differ, the desire to connect is a commonality shared by all"

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"Through our collaboration, we realize that a cultural delegation doesn’t have to be grand; even we, sharing the same dream of cultural exchange, can be called a delegation. Despite growing up in different environments and speaking different languages, we experienced a moment where we transformed a wide, old wall into a canvas, connecting through art"

The K-Culture Syndrome brought young people from two countries, over 10,000 kilometers apart, face to face in front of Seoul’s wide walls. Spanish university students, captivated by Korean culture, teamed up with Korean high school students to create murals blending symbols from both countries, turning the space into a lively and spirited scene. This is the story of the 'K-Spain Urban Mural Project' held in Gangnam-gu on the 12th.

Korean and Spanish Young Mural Groups Team Up for Urban Art

Near Gangnam’s iconic landmark, COEX, the Korean 'City Mural Collective' and Spain’s 'Grafos'—both youth groups specializing in murals and graffiti—breathed new life into an abandoned, neglected building. These groups are dedicated to urban or street art, pursuing artistic expressions rooted in city landscapes through murals and graffiti.

The City Mural Collective, composed of eight high school students with different backgrounds and careers, uses their artistic talents to revitalize neglected areas through murals. Since forming last summer, they’ve worked on projects including murals at Seoul’s Jayang Traditional Market, a parking lot at Onyang Hot Spring as well as remodeling containers at Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal, and public phone booths on streets. This collaboration project marks their seventh work and their first collaboration with an external organization.

Grafos, a team of four 20-year-olds from Mondragon University in Spain, belongs to the LEINN department—famous for fostering entrepreneurial spirit. They organize city art events centered on graffiti. The department’s initials stand for Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. Students are encouraged to establish and manage their own companies in teams, focusing on social issues through art. The members of Grafos founded a company called Nura to explore social challenges through graffiti, organizing live exhibitions and participatory workshops with graffiti artists. This is their second international project after New York, and their first direct creation activity in Seoul.

Feeling the Popularity of K-Culture in Spain

Social media(SNS) was essential to connecting young people from two different continents. When Grafos, a Spanish team, had the opportunity to stay in Korea for seven weeks through an international study program, they began searching online for a Korean mural group led by young muralists to collaborate with.

Meanwhile, the City Mural Collective (CMC) had been consistently sharing photos of reinterpretations of national treasures in pop art style—on Instagram. When Grafos discovered these works, they reached out to CMC.

At a deeper level, what truly bound the two teams was Korean culture. In recent years, Korea’s pop culture—K-pop, K-dramas, and more—has become a global phenomenon, and Spain is no exception. Leire Martin, 20, a member of Grafos, said, “The young generation in Spain is obsessed with Korea—music, fashion, food, dramas, and so on. I was very excited to have the chance to work with Korean young people here in Seoul, a city known for its innovation.”

The two teams initially planned their collaboration via video calls, communicating in English. The core shared message was "connection." Using the power of culture to bridge geographical distances, they agreed to use a large wall as a canvas for joint creation to foster deeper communication and empathy. After Grafos arrived in Korea, they sat down together to discuss mural designs and the location more thoroughly.

Jinki Hong(18) from CMC recalled, “During the sketching process, we explained our previous works, especially the national treasure murals, and talked about traditional Korean folk paintings. I was surprised to see how interested and eager our Spanish friends were to learn about our traditional culture.” He added, “They also showed an extraordinary reaction to K-pop and K-dramas, which made me realize how influential Korean culture really is.”

Combining Symbols of Korea and Spain on a Mural  

Within a month, the main designs for the mural were finalized. The motifs included the iconic mask from Spain’s Money Heist (La Casa de Papel), the character from the animated series Puss in Boots, and a tiger charater (Duffy) from the popular K-pop Demon Hunters. The idea was to connect symbolic characters from both countries to promote cultural links.

Why the tiger for Korea? CMC explained, “From the start, we wanted to incorporate pop elements familiar to our generation. We decided to use the tiger, a traditional symbol of Korea, but chose the internationally popular tiger from K-POP Demon Hunters to ensure broad appeal.”

For Spain’s representative character, they selected the Money Heist mask, which became globally famous after its Netflix release in 2017, and the character Puss, which appeared in the hit animated film Shrek as a Spanish-style cavalier cat. The Money Heist mask is modeled after Salvador Dalí’s iconic mustachioed face, while Puss is a nod to Spain’s cultural heritage.

Grafos explained, “We wanted to symbolize rebellion and freedom with the ‘Money Heist’ mask, and connect it with the powerful, spiritual image of the tiger in Korean culture. Combining these seemingly contrasting elements shows that strength, wisdom, courage, and imagination share a common energy.” They also aimed to reflect on how different identities can share a universal passion for art.

A Wall for Freedom and Connection  

Just before starting the mural, a challenge arose—rain. Despite thorough planning and weather forecasts, the rain on the weekend of the 11th and 12th made outdoor work impossible. Overall, they had scheduled two days for the project, but Saturday’s work was canceled.

On the morning of the 12th, both teams gathered in front of a building near COEX, Seoul, to work on the mural. They prepared by applying a white primer, sketching the outlines, and beginning the coloring—aiming to finish everything in one day. Though intermittent rain caused brief pauses, the old, weathered wall slowly transformed as vivid colors emerged against the gloomy sky. In the center of the wall—divided by pillars and moldings—was a fusion of the Puss in Boots and Dali mask images.

While working, the atmosphere was both joyful and focused. The graffiti artists mainly used spray paint, while mural painters used brushes and paints, but on this day, they worked freely without strict adherence to tools, helping each other. One team member recalled, “The most memorable moment was running with paint to avoid the rain and sharing laughter during the moment.”

The mural completion has been postponed to the next weekend (18th and 19th). Sanghyun Ji (Brian Ji) of the City Mural Collective, who is 18, expressed his hope, saying, “I wish this space, where people used to pass by unconcerned, can become a place where they stop, take photos against the mural background, and enjoy themselves.”

Egoitz Duarte, 20, the leader of Grafos, compared Seoul with New York, where their first international project was held. He said, “From the perspective of street art projects, Seoul is a city that is still growing and developing its urban culture,” adding, “It was a valuable opportunity to learn and share ideas in a completely different creative environment than New York.” He continued, “Although our approaches and styles may differ, the passion for creating art and connecting people is the same.” He also shared his thoughts on the collaboration, saying, “I gained a new perspective from observing how Korean young people express themselves and approach their work.”

Murals Transform Forgotten Spaces into Astonishing Canvases

For both teams, the 'wall' represents a space of boundless possibilities. Unlike museums or galleries that are inside and accessible only to visitors, a wall in the street is open to anyone walking by, making it a live, breathing form of art that makes everyone feel alive.

We asked each team what the meaning of murals is to them. Grafos explained, “Murals have the power to turn ordinary walls into voices of the community. Sometimes, they convey stories that words cannot express. I find it special that murals can redefine familiar spaces and foster emotional connections.”

The City Mural Collective believes, “The great strength of murals is that they allow us to freely express our desires within limited spaces. With the belief that public spaces can become shared memories, we want to turn old city walls into stages for new stories.”

If they could collaborate again, the Collective hopes to undertake a project themed ‘Sea and Islands,’ combining traditional Korean culture with Mediterranean culture. Meanwhile, Grafos expressed interest in a participatory project that helps young people let go of the obsession with perfection and accept themselves.

The City Mural Collective plans to continue working with artists from different cultural backgrounds, initially targeting exchanges with Cuba and Nigeria. Grafos also announced their desire to host an event in Korea centered on ‘imperfection.’ “We are thinking of an open workshop where anyone can freely pick up spray paint and express themselves. We want to give people who hesitate to try street art out of fear of failure an experience that turns that fear into creativity.”

So-yoon Lee, the secretary of the City Mural Collective, shared, “As seen in this joint mural project, there are ideas and synergies born from young people that only they can imagine. I hope there will be many opportunities for passionate young people to lead mural projects, contributing to the creation of a beautiful city.”

Written by Reporter, Eun-seo Hwang

The Hankook Ilbo(Korea Daily)

Published on October 15th, 2025 14:00