Buenos Aires Street Art has compiled a collection of murals and graffiti relating to Covid-19 in Argentina. All photos taken by Buenos Aires Street Art.
Radioactive suits, protective clothing, helmets, visors, masks and a syringe all feature in this collaboration (photo © BA Street Art)
Argentina like many countries around the world has suffered severely during the coronavirus pandemic. In March 2020, the country underwent the longest quarantine in the world. After the lockdown ended in October 2020, various artists took to the streets and featured Covid-19 in their artworks.
Injection – collaboration by graffiti artists in province of Buenos Aires. (photo © BA Street Art)
The government lockdown measures have had a devastating effect on the economy with small businesses decimated. Schools were closed for more than 12 months with pupils missing a whole academic year.
Covid kiss. Mural by Vero Corrales in Tucuman. (photo © BA Street Art)
Argentine street artist Vero Corrales and Fer Gallucci have painted a series of murals in San Miguel de Tucuman relating to the pandemic. Check out our interview with them here
Old lady with visor by Vero Corrales in Tucuman. (photo © BA Street Art)
Girl with face mask by Vero Corrales in Tucuman. (photo © BA Street Art)
And local street artists in Tucuman have been getting together to paint over ugly political propaganda that has been covering the walls of the city – adding colour and creativity.
Fuck Covid – graffiti in Palermo by Crem featuring character with face mask (photo © BA Street Art)
‘They stole the vaccine’ – message on wall in Palermo, Buenos Aires (photo © BA Street Art)
Frustration with lockdown measures by the general public was manifested on the walls in different neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires. Messages such as ‘Fuck Covid’ were common. Many people were furious that Covid 19 vaccines were handed out to friends, political allies of the ruling party and for favours rather than to the elderly, vulnerable and those with existing health problems first. One message on this wall in Palermo reads: “Se robaron la vacuna’ (‘They stole the vaccine’).
Stencil with cherub and syringe by Lucas in Buenos Aires. (photo © BA Street Art)
Stencil artist Lucas has also painted a series of stencils relating to Covid-19. One features a cherub firing a syringe at a love heart.
Stencil by Lucas reading: ‘At least the disease makes our heart bigger’. (photo © BA Street Art)
Face mask paste-up by KTRLV (photo © BA Street Art)
Street artist KTRLV has created a series of paste-ups and stencils featuring masks with the face coverings become a common site around Buenos Aires.
Robocop paste up in Villa Urquiza reads: ‘Stay at home, you have 20 seconds to obey’ (photo © BA Street Art)
This paste-up of Robocop refers to ‘totalitarian’ measures enforced by the national government with curfews, bans on running outside, going to parks or leaving the house unless going to a pharmacy or to buy food and essential provisions. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of small businesses in Argentina have gone bust as a result of the government lockdown measures. Giant supermarkets have been allowed to increase their profits selling toys, plants, stationery, alcohol while small toy shops, garden centres, stationers and wine merchants selling the same merchandise have been forced to close. During quarantine protocols, the national government also introduced a track and trace system with permission to circulate in a vehicle only granted if you download an app to you smart phone app and fill in a form with your ID, car license plate, your address and address of place you will be visiting on a given date.
Covid 1984 – Big Brother Photo (photo © BA Street Art)
This stencil with the message Covid 19 84 refers to George Orwell’s book 1984 in which people were monitored and controlled under an authoritarian state.
False pandemia message written on this wall (photo © BA Street Art)
Many people have described the “pandemic” as “false” with governments and mass media suppressing any information or studies questioning or criticising Covid vaccines and asking why there is a push to vaccinate children who have almost zero risk of dying or being ill after contracting the virus. Questions have also been asked about why all alternative treatments that are not vaccine-related are dismissed while many doctors have questioned why there is a “one size fits all solution” to protect people from Covid when traditional medicine treats patients on “a case by case basis”. Other people thinking differently have questioned if there really was a “pandemic” with almost no distinction made between statistics relating to “deaths caused by Covid” or deaths of people with Covid or who had Covid”, while others believe governments have used coercion – banning travel, access to bars or prohibiting people from working – if people are not jabbed in order to sell vaccines.
Meanwhile dozens of murals and artworks have been commissioned by local governments paying tribute to the work and sacrifices made by doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Mural featuring a doctor and butterflies (photo © BA Street Art)
Mural of doctor with face mask. (photo © BA Street Art)
Some murals commissioned by local governments include acknowledgements to the work and sacrifices made by doctors, nurses, hospital staff and public health workers.
Mural tribute to medical staff. (photo © BA Street Art)
Mural showing a pensioner receiving the vaccine in Argentina. (photo © BA Street Art)
The local government in Almirante Brown has sponsored this mural promoting getting vaccinating against Covid-19 featuring a smiling and pensioner raising her fist.
Exclusive photos © Buenos Aires Street Art. Not to be used without prior permission.
