Street Art

Another stunning - but humid Havana day. After breakfast we walked across Parque Central to meet our guide Miguel.

He drove us about 20 minutes out of town to a fishing village now known as ‘Fusterlandia’ - after the local artist who decided during the early 1990’s to boost the morale of his community by decorating the outside of his house with mosaic tiles.

The locals so loved the Gaudi-esque effect they asked him to do theirs and the whole project grew to cover almost the entire neighborhood. Now, Fustre’s house is a tourist attraction and his artworks sell for thousands of dollars.

We all absolutely loved the whimsical, colourful effect and could have stayed much longer exploring the other houses. But we had to move on.

We were then taken to three other artistic neighbourhoods - none as immersive as Fustre’s, but all so impactful on the local area.

One consisted artworks made entirely from recycled objects, and made a political statement with the artists use of colours.

Another was inspired by the local hairdressers and barbers who encouraged cafe and restaurant operators to establish outdoor eateries amongst the artwork. They even created a children’s playground with all of the equipment inspired by elements found in a barber’s shop.

It was a fascinating and uplifting morning which really reminded us of what can be achieved by one person’s vision and creativity.Read more