Street artists painted some stunning murals and graffiti pieces in Concepción de Tucumán, Argentina, a few weeks ago. Photos by Buenos Aires Street Art.
Original character painted by Brazilian artist Sipros (photo © BA Street Art)
The urban art meeting in September called ‘Perla de Colores’ was organised and curated by local street artist Nómada Veliz with more than 20 artists taking part also representing Brazil, Chile and Paraguay..
Artwork by Paraguyan artist Mali (photo © BA Street Art)
Artist Mali who painted an astronaut-style cartoon character (above) travelled from Paraguay for the event and painted a section of wall with Coche, Tony C and Chax.
Figure painted by Tony C (photo © BA Street Art)
Artist Tony C, known for his large scale realistic portraits of people and animals, also traveled from Posadas, Misiones, for the meeting.
Local artist Nómada Veliz was the event organiser (photo © BA Street Art)
Event organiser and street artist Nómada Veliz – real name Brian (above) – told Buenos Aires Street Art that the mural project had totally transformed Plaza Haimes and there had really positive reactions from visitors. “A lot of people come to the square to relax and drink maté, there are activities here with school kids every week, there’s also an artisan fair – all the time people are taking photos of the murals,” said Brian. “These walls were in a really bad way or destroyed if you like – so the idea of the project is to improve this public space and help put our city and province on the map from an artistic and touristic point of view. And I think we’ve achieved that.”
Artworks by Tonny C, Coche, Chax & Mali in Plaza Haimes (photo © BA Street Art)
Brian also revealed that the wet weather made it extremely difficult for the artists to paint. “It was a really big challenge with so much rain,” he said. “Some of the artists decided to start painting on Friday night which turned out to be a good decision as on Saturday it rained all day and they also had to come back after dark to paint with the street lights on. On Sunday, some of the guys started painting early, then in the afternoon it rained again, so a few (local artists) had to finish their artworks on Monday and Tuesday.”
Portraits of Mess & Maradona by Angel Taboada & Nómada Veliz (photo © BA Street Art)
Brian also painted a mural at the event together with Angel Taboada from Santiago del Estero. It features portraits of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona from the 2022 and 1990 World Cups when Argentina finished as runner-up in both tournaments. Next to the portrait of Messi is the phrase: ‘THANKS CAPTAIN. ‘If you stumble, get back up, try again, and fight for your dreams’. “The mural is really two faces of the same coin,” Brian explained. “I painted Maradona in black and white and Angel painted Messi in colour. We also wrote a phrase to inspire people that if they don’t give up, their dreams can come true.”
Portrait by Fabro of Atahualpa Yupanqui (photo © BA Street Art)
Some artists painted murals relating to local culture and history including this portrait by Fabro of Argentine folklore musician Atahualpa Yupanqui. In the Quechua language of the Incas, *Ata* means “to come,” *Hu* “from afar,” *Alpa* “land,” and *Yupanqui* “to tell”. In 1917, Atahualpa (1909-1992) settled in Tucumán with his family, and at the age of 19, he composed his popular song ‘Camino del indio’ and went on to write many more related to the province such as ‘El arriero’ y ‘Luna tucumana’.
Mural by Ruido featuring a sugar cane worker nicknamed ‘Tono’ (photo © BA Street Art)
Artists Ruido (consisting of Vero Corrales & Fer Gallucci) from San Miguel de Tucumán painted a striking mural featuring a photograph taken by Tito Mangini in 1966 from his series entitled ‘El Hombre en la zafra’ or ‘Man during the sugar cane harvest’. The province of Tucumán is famous for its sugar cane production. Vero explained that while they were painting, a woman named Elena came up to them explaining that she thought she knew who the young man in the mural was. Elena’s partner confirmed that the protagonist was José Raul ‘Tono’ Decima from Simoca, Tucumán, taken when he was 18-years-old, following a video call with Tono’s daughter. Tono also came to see the mural after it was finished. A lovely story!
Pachamama painted by Ana Singh (photo © BA Street Art)
Artist Ana Singh painted this mural of Pachamama (above) with the phrase ‘Somos la tierra que se defiende’ meaning ‘We are the earth that defends itself’. Pachamama or Mother Earth is very important in Inca and indigenous culture and represents the earth – soil, plants, animals, climate and everything that sustains us. Throughout South America including Argentina, particularly in north west provinces like Tucumán, they celebrate Pachamama Day on 1st August.
Artworks by Nutre tu Fuego & Santi el Negro (photo © BA Street Art)
Chilean street artist Nutre tu Fuego painted a wildcat called ‘gato andino‘ or ‘Andean cat’ that can be found in the Aconquija Nature Reserve in Tucumán and is under the threat of extinction. And Santi El Negro painted a touching portrait of his grandmother Dona Delfina Saracho holding a ‘tamal’. Santi’s ‘abuela’ taught his family the tradition of making the tasty regional dish made from maiz and minced beef.
Characters painted by Trazo Color & Luciano Vita (photo © BA Street Art)
Brian said the event could not have been a success without the help of Municipalidad de Concepción that helped finance the project, prepared the walls beforehand and also put in new lights to illuminate the murals. “There are some city councils who don’t seem to like murals and graffiti but Municipalidad de Concepción has been really supportive” said Brian. “It’s great that some of the artists who have traveled a long way could stay in a hotel and the council could help make the event possible.”
Artwork by Juan Ferreira featuring Mercedes Sosa (photo © BA Street Art)
Local artist Juan Ferreira from La Cocha in Tucumán painted a colourful tribute to Argentine folklore legend Mercedes Sosa who was born in San Miguel de Tucumán. Juan’s graffiti-style artwork also features his initials J F behind the singer with landscapes depicting reservoir Los Pizarros and Rumi Punco waterfalls near La Cocha where he lives. He also added a fun portrait of event organiser Brian and the graffiti letters ‘PERLA’.
Brian told us he’s hoping that there will be a second edition of ‘Perlas de Color’ in 2027 and some artists who weren’t able to take part due to the lack of wall spaces can also participate.
All photos © Buenos Aires Street Art
