Caín Ferreras has completed a mural in Torrejón el Rubio, Spain, for Muro Crítico 2026. A portrait crossed by birds, the work connects a human face to the nearby landscape of Monfragüe National Park. It can be seen at Plazuela de Pizarro, 16.
The birds are drawn in lines across the portrait rather than placed beside it as a separate scene. Muro Crítico describes the figure’s expression as one of pride in the land and says the mural refers specifically to Monfragüe’s designation as a national park. That designation took place in 2007; it is the historical event behind the work, not the date of its creation.
Torrejón el Rubio is among the municipalities associated with the park. Birds also have a particular place in Monfragüe’s conservation history: the area received protected status for birdlife in 1991, before it became a national park. Ahead of this year’s murals, the Cáceres provincial council named Monfragüe’s birdlife as a reference for works in Torrejón el Rubio. Ferreras gives that local subject a direct place in his portrait.
The connection between people and their natural surroundings has appeared elsewhere in his mural practice. In his account of an earlier work in Salorino, Ferreras describes depicting interactions in the dehesa, including cork harvesting. He also studied environmental sciences. Those details offer context for his approach without making the new portrait a repeat of the earlier mural.
Ferreras painted the Torrejón el Rubio work during Muro Crítico’s September 28–October 2 programme in the town. The festival is organised by the Diputación de Cáceres across municipalities in the province; this mural remains on view at Plazuela de Pizarro, 16.
Images via @murocritico on Instagram.
