Graffiti!!

Graffiti is a way of life here in Buenos Aires. Almost every single square inch of this city is covered in graffiti. Some of it is very similar to that you would find in the US. A tag by some kid trying to prove to the rest of the world that they're a badass....which is really weird here in Argentina since everything is tagged anyways. Beyond the silly kid tagging though there is a deep culture in this city around graffiti and what it represents and what it can do. Unlike the US, a large majority of the graffiti here in Buenos Aires is politically driven. But that's not all. Some of the graffiti you find on the walls of different stores and buildings in different neighborhoods is so sophisticated, so complex that it actually looks more like a mural that someone commissioned than graffiti at all.


Here is where I would normally bore you with a nice history lesson on graffiti. Its rise, its importance, and its historical relevance. Lucky for you and me, ABC news has already done it! How nice of them....so for my history buffs I direct your attention briefly to this graffiti link.


Now that you have read that and have a sense of the historical importance of graffiti here in Buenos Aires I'm sure you are dying for my perspective (ps in that imaginary game where no one ever really wins and the points don't matter, 10 points to anyone who actually read the article! YAY for you!).


By far what I find to be the most interesting type of graffiti here in Buenos Aires is the politically driven stuff. I find that on the whole the Argentine people are far more aware of their own political system then people in the US are. I find that people in Argentina tend to have fairly strong feelings, not necessarily about a political party, but about their political beliefs and their willingness to truly support a candidate they feel represents those beliefs....this being said a post is coming about the Argentine political system, have no fear my followers!


Some of the political graffiti is done free hand, but the large majority of it is done through the use of stencils. I went looking this past Sunday for some of the best graffiti within walking distance of my home and I will be inserting those pictures as I see necessary. So without further ado, here are some pictures of the politically driven graffiti in Buenos Aires....

I know this doesn't seem like a political stencil, but to me it was one of the most important ones I saw....it claims that all of the graffiti is nothing more than art, which by definition is supposed to challenge society to think beyond their pretty little boxes....And now I will get off of my soap box this has been a message from the uppity elitist who believes in art education.

Yea....sooo do I really need to point out the political
significance of this one or do you pretty much get it??
Oh you get it that's good....that's very good.

I loved this one I thought it was really artsy with all sorts
of typical Argentina political undertone.

Many of you may be thinking that the above pictures are not really examples of political graffiti. You are wrong. In the grand scheme of things they may not seem politically driven, but in my neighborhood these were the pieces of graffiti that were clearly done by those with a greater political purpose. I think that is one of the best things about the graffiti actually. The small stencils and free drawn political messages all let you know what kind of a neighborhood you're in. You not only find out that this is a neighborhood where art is appreciated, but you also find out exactly which soccer team is the favorite and which political candidates are most supported. 


A large majority of the most impressive graffiti in Buenos Aires can actually be found in mural form. Some of these murals delve into the world of science fiction and some are more Bible with a twist. But each one functions as a work of art. Whether the piece surrounds the entry way to a shop or restaurant or whether the mural simply covers the wall of an apartment building it is quite impressive to see a full scale piece of artwork while just waling down the street. Here are some examples:

Classic Fairytale..... 

Okay now this one was confusing...I'm pretty sure it is supposed to be some sort of  eco-friendly monster. It has a coral head, the body of a Hindu God, the legs of a chicken, the long body of a ferret, some weird red stuff shooting out of its nose, but in its hands(which of course is hard to see in my picture) is a small sapling being watered? by the beast itself. I told you some of them were Sci-Fi-esque.

This one is called White Trash...Nough' Said!

I can only imagine that this one was created to entice kids to by candy....but upon further inspection you'll find its to entice kids and potheads alike....see it yet?

This quite simply is an elephant and a bird.

The Virgin Mary....in a new light...

An original take on Jesus....read the writing above his head for further reference.

Just an example to show that they also tag the way we do in the States.

This one was really interesting to me....between the bright colors and the relatively mismatched images I couldn't quite figure out what was going on....tell me what you think?

What else do you need to know about graffiti in Buenos Aires?? Hmmm....I don't know exactly, but here is a video from two Aussie tourist who went on one of the walking tours through graffitimundo....pretty interesting stuff.