WORRY DOLL / MURAL
Barcelona, Spain. 2018
Few days ago i was in Barcelona where i painted this quick wall in collaboration with LeonKa, inspired by the Mayan dolls "Quita penas"
In the dolls' original Guatemalan tradition, a local legend about the origin of the "Muñeca quitapena" refers to a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princess received a special gift from the sun god which would allow her to solve any problem a human could worry about.
In traditional and modern times, worry dolls are given or lent to brooding and sorrowful children. They would tell their doll about their sorrows, fears and worries, then hide it under their pillow during the night. After this, the child will literally sleep over the whole thing. At the next morning, all sorrows are said to have been taken away by the worry doll.
The dolls are used as dreamcatchers and amulets, offering you a chance to unload your daily suffering in a natural way. This beautiful tradition promotes a very healthy psychological habit that everyone should try to achieve every day: releasing your mind of your preoccupations so you can sleep soundly.
