Good Graf: Santiago Graffiti-Villavicencio

I love good graf. Graffiti art, street art, urban expression, bright colors, and freedom in design. And,in my opinion, Chilean graffiti is some of the best. As promised, I will be posting some of my “Good Graf” photos from time to time. (Remember Río Mapocho? And the “official” mural in front of Diego Portales?)

Graf fans… lucky day!

All of these Santiago graffiti shots were taken on May 14, 2009; the art is on a formerly blank wall along Av. Villavicencio, near Lastarria. Specifically, it’s the wall that was put up around the backside of the old Diego Portales Building reconstruction site  (soon to be the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center). I’m calling it Villavicencio 336 because there was an address plaque with that address at one end.  Oh yeah, and a disclaimer… I know these were taken at the wrong time of day (yes, I do know those unsightly shadows do not reflect the artists’ best work–nor mine). These were grab shots taken with a fairly decent point and shoot that I keep with me at all times… a pretty handy thing for a blogging graffiti fan to have within arm’s reach!

I did a bit of poking around to find out who’s behind this work. It seems pretty clear that it’s a group work–there are individual pieces and certain styles that come through loud and clear, while other pieces seem to have contributions from multiple artists. But while I did come up with some leads, it will take more time than I have today folks, so if you already do know something about this work, I bet I’m not the only one who would like to know more!

Here goes, from left to right:

Birthday Love (MST Villavicencio 336)

This piece was off to the side and does not appear to really be part of the rest of the wall.

Vazko/Basco? Piguan? Santana? (MST Villavicencio 336)

I originally thought this was a Vazko (Basco)… but there’s a name written on top that makes me wonder. Also, his work and Piguan’s are similar in some ways and I KNOW Piguan was there that day, but no other clues lead me to Vaszko. Does anyone know for sure?

**Update** Now I’m thinking this is Santana, one of the KiltrV group… Still want confirmation!

Nebs Pereira "We Are C3" (MST Villavicencio 336)

I found a Flickr site for We Are C3. Note it’s in English. Wonder why…
And a reference to the  Santiaguino street artist Nebs Pereira who signed the piece. His blog Arte Ingrato has great work but takes forever to open.

Piguan Woman (MST Villavicencio 336)

Piguan is another Santiago graf star…so here… take a closer look:

Piguan Woman Detail (MST Villavicencio 336)

You can see more about Piguan and his work at Spacejunk.

(MST Villavicencio 336)

(MST Villavicencio 336)

tp? Josefa? (MST Villavicencio 336)

Wild Style tag (MST Villavicencio 336)

More wild style (MST Villavicencio 336)

Miners (MST Villavicencio 336)

These three pieces are separate but united and are the only ones with such clear social commentary. Look at the different artistic styles used here!

(MST Villavicencio 336)

Note the Mapuche kultrun (indigenous drum) in the central figure’s hand and the references to invasive, destructive logging practices.

Caliche. Food lines (MST Villavicencio 336)

Now for a special treat from the Colectivo KiltrV (Nebs, Santana, Naska, Piguan & Rayner)

More Chilean Graffiti:

Río Mapocho Great graf on the river’s containing walls in Santiago

The “official” mural in front of Diego Portales (Note: this mural has since disappeared with the completion of the construction for the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral).