Argentine plastic artist Diego Perrotta has been working on his latest project called El Matasiete y los Guardiánes, a mural on the Imaginación building at Tecnópolis.
El Matasiete and Guardians (photo © BA Street Art)
El Matasiete is a mythical character from gaucho folklore mentioned in the book ‘El Matadero’ (‘The Slaughterhouse’) by 19th century Argentine author Estaban Echevarría. Diego’s interpretation of El Matasiete hovers above four guardians each wearing a badge representing the four elements Air, Earth, Fire and Water.
Diego painting El Matasiete (photo © BA Street Art)
“El Matasiete is the most important character in my work, and also originates from texts that I write,” says Diego. “It’s a character who was probably born in the South of Buenos Aires and it’s a type of avenging angel (justiciero) and defender of the people. The four men who accompany El Matasiete in the mural are fighters like him and stand by the big doors and are defending the building.”
Protection (photo © BA Street Art)
The blue background near the eaves of the building represents the sky, while there will be a middle section depicting a city and mountain scene that represents “a large territory of Argentina”, and a bottom section beneath with water in which the guardians will be standing.
Guardians of Fire and Water (photo © BA Street Art)
The mural when finished by Diego and his six assistants will also include texts in the circles on the chests of each the guardians that relate to the four different ‘zones of protection’. These zones also reflect the environmental difficulties Argentina has been facing with ash clouds, deforestation, volcanic eruptions from Chile, pollution of its rivers and erosion of its glaciers. “Every territory has its problems so the guardians have to be alert to protect these areas,” says Diego.
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| Airtime: Fox painting (photo © BA Street Art) |
 Guardians of the Earth (photo © BA Street Art) |
 Elevation (photo © BA Street Art) |
 North facade painted by Tec (left) (photo © BA Street Art) |
