Morro Jable Public Art, Fuerteventura

The Poet

(Amancio Gonzalez, 2017)

Broken Dreams (Juan Miguel Cubas, 2016): Daedalus, a mythical inventor, made feather and wax wings to escape from Crete where he and his son Icarus, were held captive by King Minos. Icarus ignored his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun. His wings melted and that was the end of Icarus!

Willy Brandt visits Morro Jabley (Rafael Gómez González, 2017): Brandt visited Morro Jabley while he was German Chancellor and as well as the bronze statue with his dog there are a number of interpretation boards. .

Tribute to Coastal Women (Juan Miguel Cubas, 2014): sees a granite lady looking out to sea. Around the corner a group of fishermen look out as well - perhaps wondering when to set off. The seafront has a fantastic collection of public art in metal and stone . Walking from the town centre to the lighthouse, the more you look the more you find.

Light on the Horizon ( Amancio Gonzáles)

Fun and games inside a rock…

As I moved round this sculpture inside a broken granite rock a middle-aged German lady said with a twinkle in her eye: “Have a look inside, the couple are in love!” Well it certainly appeared like they were - and I am still pondering where in Birmingham we could display such a piece.

Goats, turtles and granite people looking out to sea. Recycled metal is welded into new pieces of public art. What an amazing place this is. Not easy though to find out who the artists were, but back home in Birmingham internet searches are helping. We will add legends as we learn more.

Constant Struggle (Juan Miguel Cubas, 2015): Two goat's heads remind us they are important to the island’s economy. Turtles: There is a turtle breeding station in Morro Jable harbour.

Back to Birmingham’s Public Art

Finding all this amazing public art in Morro Jable was unexpected. It certainly lead to comparisons with the public art on the streets in Birmingham. Certainly Morro Jable has some amazing public art installations. It is surprising with all this effort that basic details of the sculptors and the year date the items were placed was rarely present. After all, the majority of the people viewing the public art will be visitors. One piece of public art in particular, the man and women making love inside a cracked granite rock was certainly too controversial for the streets of Birmingham. However, to me it was up there as one of the best pieces. It did make me consider once again how we can have more public art in Birmingham that pushes boundaries. What a great trip that turned out to be!

Wind Toy (César Manrique).

Wind Toy - Morro Jable public art canaries

Morro Jable - seafront public art

An annual Symposium of Sculpture commenced in Morro Jable 2014. Promoters included local sculptor Juan Miguel Cubras. The Symposium included sculptors working in public for 4 to 5 weeks. The sculptures that were made have been placed in Morro Jable and around the municipality of Pájara. There are lots along the seafront as you walk out towards the lighthouse.

When writing a book things get very target driven. For Birmingham’s Public Art January 2023 was full-on, trying to complete a full text and match legends with photos. We promised ourselves a week in the sun once a draft was written, and decided on a walking holiday on Fuerteventura. We stayed in Costa Calma where you can head across the hills to the north coast on well-trodden paths or walk for miles along golden sandy beaches. On a couple of days we took the local bus to Morro Jable, at the southernmost tip of the island. Wow – what a collection of public art on the streets of Morro Jable! It was interesting to compare with the public art in Birmingham , and also the things around it which I had been so busy focusing on for my book.