Graffiti, Argentine style

Despite the sweltering heat, this afternoon Arie, Kelly and I headed to the far edge of Palermo for a Graffiti tour. Our guide, Luisa from Graffitimundo, was unbelievably energetic, given that we were all wilting and constantly looking for “the shadows” (aka, shade) in which to stand. Over a three hour period, during which we walked many, many blocks, Luisa taught us all about graffiti and its place in contemporary BA culture.

Not too surprisingly, the street art is generally located in the less affluent neighborhoods (none in tony Recolata, for example). The graffiti can be small (part or all of a wall) or immense (the side of a multi-story building). It can consist of tags or murals. And, while it is technically illegal, as long as the building owner does not object, the art can stay. Often, the building owners commission the art, sometimes for commercial reasons (like a portrait of Jazz musician painted on the side of a recording studio) and sometimes for aesthetic reasons (to get rid of tags). And, of course, lots of time the work is overtly political (a turtle whose shell is a military helmet, pulling a “bubble” with children inside). Typically, the art is done quite quickly— one day is really fast, and two weeks is definitely on the longer side. The artists can be individuals, or “crews” composed of many artists. And, some of the artists are extremely well-known (like Blu, who paints huge murals which are typically criticism of capitalism). I was awestruck by both the diversity of themes, and the quality of much of the art.

A couple of stories were of particular interest to me. There is a local artist who goes by the name of “Primo.” This artist is a white male, but he is very interested in the lack of Argentinians of African descent — both in terms of sheer numbers and in representation in art. It seems that Argentina, like much of the world, has a tragic history of racism. Most Blacks were brought to Argentina as slaves. During the various military battles, they were placed on the front lines, leading to huge casualties. And, during the economic dislocations, the poorest in society, including many Blacks, were crushed, resulted in many leaving whenever possible. Primo wants to bring attention to both the history and the current under representation of Blacks in Argentinian culture, so he has painted a series of murals, all of which portray Blacks. The murals are all beautiful, both in terms of artistic skill and execution of the technique. Also, his style is pretty unique, so it is easy to recognize them. We really enjoyed seeing them.

The second story that was interesting — but far from surprising — is that relatively few graffiti artists are women. According to our guide (who is herself involved in the street art culture), less than 10% of all murals are painted by women. And, when women paint murals, they are often mocked by men who pass by, who catcall and taunt them they are engaging in “men’s work.” Sexism. Plain and simple.

Seeing all of this art makes me want to create a mural at the River. All that is standing in the way is my extreme lack of artistic ability!!Read more