Sharing the process on NACHOMAWE TV
Mawe’s official website links to NACHOMAWE TV. Verified videos explain spray portrait painting and the tools used in his mural practice, including aerosols, caps and other equipment. The channel gives an interested audience access to practical decisions behind the finished work.
His involvement in Godejam also appears in the festival’s 2017 programme, which names both Mawe and Xemayo. His official video of Godejam 2024 documents a Sparta-themed mural collaboration with Pauceda and Los Hermonos. These activities sit alongside his collaborations and individual painting practice.
A practice that began with letters
Mawe, also known as Nacho Mawe, is a Valencian urban artist with strong roots in Burjassot. His official biography traces the name to drawing, rap music and hip-hop culture. Its timeline places the start of his career in 2004 and his move from lettering towards figurative painting in 2016.
That history matters when looking at the later murals. The shift towards recognisable faces is an expansion of a practice that began with letters, signatures and repeated work on walls. His portfolio still separates lettering, personal projects and commissions, showing the different settings in which that practice develops.
Beyond a photographic likeness
In a 2020 Valencia Plaza interview, Mawe discussed combining precise figurative painting with colourful geometry and more abstract elements. Working on canvas during lockdown gave him another setting in which to explore that mixture, alongside the murals he continued to paint at home.
The interview describes an interest in visual impact, detail and colour rather than a single message applied to every work. Some commissions carry an explicit social or commemorative purpose; other paintings leave more space for experimentation. Realism is one part of that language, not a rule that fixes the appearance of every mural.
Burjassot and the memory of María Marzo
The María Marzo mural brings that figurative approach into a local story. Mawe’s portfolio dates the project to November 2021 and credits it as a collaboration with Xemayo, commissioned by Burjassot Council. Its central image honours María Marzo, remembered for helping care for the children of women working in the town’s textile industry.
The piece forms part of a larger painted environment in the park bearing her name. The council’s account describes a wider composition incorporating Burjassot’s market gardens, Los Silos, sport and younger generations. This is a useful way to read the work: an individual figure sits within a shared account of the town.
Different collaborators, different local stories
In Cullera, Mawe worked with Xemayo and Sink on the 2022 Valencia CF urban-art route mural marking Mestalla’s centenary. In Oliva, a later collaboration with Paucda portrayed footballer Manolo Mestre and club president Luis Casanova. Valencia CF’s October 2023 inauguration report identifies both figures and credits the two artists.
Another joint work with Xemayo, La puerta violeta in Xirivella, draws on Rozalén’s song. Reported by À Punt in December 2022, the mural depicts a woman freeing herself from chains. The different subjects show how collaborative mural painting can address local memory, sport and social concerns without making every project follow the same theme.
A changing setting for the work
In April 2026, Mawe painted a shipping container near Valencia’s Veles e Vents building for a Cirque du Soleil project inspired by Alegría. Europa Press documented the presentation on 14 April and stated that the installation would remain there until 30 April. It belongs to the record of his Valencia work, rather than a current recommendation for a permanent mural stop.
For a wider view, the official portfolio below brings together murals, lettering and studio work. Our history of graffiti and street art in Valencia provides context for those changing formats, while the artist directory introduces other voices in the scene.
Official links
Sources
- Hortanoticias: Godejam 2017 programme: Mawe, Xemayo, hip-hop and introductory class (opens in a new tab)
- NACHOMAWE TV: Mawe’s own video of the collaborative wall at Godejam 2024 (opens in a new tab)
- Nacho Mawe: NACHOMAWE TV: official channel linked from the artist’s website (opens in a new tab)
- NACHOMAWE TV: Mural tools: sprays, caps, equipment and practical experience (opens in a new tab)
- NACHOMAWE TV: Spray portrait demonstration: greyscale tones and working sequence (opens in a new tab)
- Nacho Mawe: Nacho Mawe: official biography and career chronology (opens in a new tab)
- Nacho Mawe: Official portfolio: lettering, personal artwork and commissions (opens in a new tab)
- Valencia Plaza — Luis Urios: Nacho Mawe, realismo con altas dosis de creatividad (opens in a new tab)
- Nacho Mawe: María Marzo Wall: artist’s project record and collaboration credit (opens in a new tab)
- Ajuntament de Burjassot: María Marzo park mural: local context and joint attribution (opens in a new tab)
- Nacho Mawe: Cullera: I Ruta Arte Urbano VCF, artist’s project record (opens in a new tab)
- Valencia CF: Oliva mural: Mawe and Paucda, official inauguration report (opens in a new tab)
- Europa Press: Mawe’s temporary Alegría mural at Veles e Vents, April 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Valencia Secreta: María Marzo mural: reporting linking the artist’s original Instagram post (opens in a new tab)
- À Punt: Xirivella mural inspired by La puerta violeta: completion report (opens in a new tab)
Related reading
