Argentine street artist Lean Frizzera has been forced to cover up his own mural after a local resident complained that the image was ‘pornographic’.
Giant wall of colour painted by Poeta, Roma and Sam on the facade of an old building in the Provincia of Buenos Aires.
Guns, prostitution, rape, drugs, child abuse and domestic violence. These are the everyday horrors going on inside an Argentine slum. Colombian Valeria Aboleda who lives in the ‘villa’ with her partner Carlos told Buenos Aires Street Art how she hopes street art can change the lives of the people living there. Continue reading
The city of Buenos Aires has rightly gained a reputation as one of the street art capitals of the world but it seems not just for the quality of its graffiti but also the quantity. It’s against the law to spray graffiti on public buildings and monuments but that hasn’t stopped one offender from defacing the city’s oldest national monument, la Pirámide de Mayo.
Graffiti on the Pirámide de Mayo
The famous obelisk in the middle of Plaza de Mayo was inaugurated on the May 25th, 1811 to commemorate the first anniversary of the May Revolution. It’s one of BA’s most important landmarks and has also been described as representing the city par excellence similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Colosseum in Rome. It’s the equivalent of spraying Nelson’s Column in London with graffiti. Not something you’d get away with in most cities!
 |
| The pyramid in front of the Casa Rosada |
Just a few weeks shy of the 201st anniversary of the historic date 25 de Mayo, the plasterwork of the monument was sprayed with the message: “194 pibas presente”, referring to the 194 young revellers who died in the Cromañón nightclub tragedy on 30 December 2004 after a pyrotechnic flare went off and set the roof of the building on fire.
 |
| Mock 200 pesos note saying “Which bicentenary?” |
Even more graffiti appeared on the streets exactly a year ago coinciding with the bicentenary. There were lavish events to mark the anniversary with the reopening of Teatro Colon and festivities in Plaza de Mayo and Avenida 9 de Julio. Plenty of stencils were painted around Buenos Aires at the time mocking the celebrations and the state of the nation.
 |
| Stencil featuring a cartonero dragging a sack of cardboard |
As part of the 25 de Mayo festivities, a ceremony was held this morning in Plaza de Mayo with the singing of the national anthem and raising of the Argentine flag and more events are planned this evening.
Some of Latin America’s best know street artists have breathed new life into a disused former oxygen tank factory in one of Buenos Aires’ roughest neighbourhoods.
A new political mural of Néstor Kirchner has been unveiled in the barrio of Barracas to mark the six month anniversary of his death. Continue reading
Ghostbusters graffiti inspired by the Eighties movie in the neighbourhood of Belgrano. Watch out for ghosts and ghouls, it’s Friday the 13th. Still no sign of Marshmallow Man!
Boca Juniors is one of the biggest football clubs in world and street art featuring its players can be found all over the neighbourhood of La Boca in Buenos Aires. Photos by Buenos Aires Street Art.
María Eva Duarte de Perón, more commonly known as Evita was born on 7 May 1919, and died of cancer aged 33 on 26 July 1952. We were wondering about the origin of the signature song Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and who was the real Eva Perón?
New mural by Argentine street artists Roma in Villa Ballester, Buenos Aires. Photos by Buenos Aires Street Art.
 |
| Frights of passage |
A study has shown that the presence of graffiti and litter can lead to an increase in petty crime. But can street art lead to a reduction in crime or combating the feeling of insecurity? Argentine artist Roma thinks so. Recently he painted a colourful mural along a dark passageway in the county of San Martin in the Province of Buenos Aires. The wall took Roma 15 days to paint in spite of bad weather, and he believes his colourful design has transformed the area.
“I painted the artwork not long after my son Romero was born but it’s not of him, it’s a character, a child with glasses,” says Roma. “It’s a place where the people who go are frightened, and there are a lot of crimes committed there. It’s a passageway that is dark and filthy and the few people who go there leave a lot of rubbish and several of them come from the villas (slums) and are looking for a place to sleep.”
Not far from the passageway are a large number of slums including Villa La Rana. “San Martin is one of the counties in the Province of Buenos Aires that has the most villas,” says Roma.”Around the town of San Martin, there are around 60 or more villas and it can be very dangerous.”
“In general not too many people use the passageway because it generates fear and insecurity, so the idea of the painting it was to try to change that,” added Roma. “In every place that I go I try to revitalize a wall that is written all over or is ugly – it’s a kind of urban cleaning or a renewal of energy.”
Story and photos © Buenos Aires Street Art
Big cat spotted in Buenos Aires! Lioness by Cabaio Stencil painted a few days ago in Chacarita.
Bicycle murals by Argentine artist Mart (photo © BA Street Art)
Mart has painted dozens of murals featuring bicycles around Buenos Aires including a new design by a railway line in Palermo near Las Cañitas. Mart told Buenos Aires Street Art why he likes painting bikes and his love for pedal power.
