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:
This piece was off to the side and does not appear to really be part of the rest of the wall.
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!
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 is another Santiago graf star…so here… take a closer look:
You can see more about Piguan and his work at Spacejunk.
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!
Note the Mapuche kultrun (indigenous drum) in the central figure’s hand and the references to invasive, destructive logging practices.
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).
Wow!! What great photos- it’s so hard to tell that they’re painted on a wall. Thanks for showing the beautiful, unexpected side of stgo.
That’s the thing… there is a LOT of incredible street art in Santiago. I love it. I had always heard great things about Berlin’s street art… and ya know what? Santiago’s got them beat by a mile!
Really interesting! I can’t wait to see some of it in person. Do you know any of the background stories on the social commentary murals?
Hi Annje- I really wish I did know more. I don’t think it would be that hard to find out. They made and posted a video, so they’re around. I just haven’t had time to go hunting for them!
So, whadya say… wanna go graf hunting with me when you get here?
absolutely, I can’t wait!
Cool!
I love this work. It is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing.
The redhead looks a lot like Argentina’s famous supermodel Valeria Mazza.
Glad you like it! There’s more to come!
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Thank You Margaret 4 this space, whit about to Villavicencio Murals (video)
are only representations of real history chilean, The antonym of another wall (Alameda)…
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matanza_de_la_Escuela_Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_de_Iquique
THANK YOU
Perdona mi mal Ingles.
Estimado Nebs! No puedes imaginar lo honrada que me siento que hayas dejado tus comentarios aquí. No te preocupes por el inglés… lo que dejas con tu pintura va mucho más allá que el mero idioma… Me gustó el comentario que pone en contraste el muro de Villavicencio con el muro de Alameda (es decir, en el otro lado del mismo recinto, el ex-Diego Portales). A propósito de ese mismo, me gusta aún más la forma actua de dicho mural…como una rompecabeza armado en otra forma… da para muchos comentarios en si mismo…).
Me encanta tu trabajo y me encantaría que me (nos) deja informado de nuevas acciones y obras tuyas y de otros! Y felicidades por tus videos también!
THANK YOU!
M.
Margaret también tengo facebook
hay muchas noticias nuevas que doy a conocer seguido, también tengo un taller muy lindo a cuadras de plaza italia si gusta algún día visitar.
Muchos saludos
Nebs Pereira
Hola! ¡qué gusto saber de ti! Te voy a buscar en FB. Cachando Chile también tiene una página en FB y puedes dejar una foto cuando quieras!
Encantadadísima conocer tu taller y tu trabajo actual.
¿A caso hayas hecho algo en el Barrio Yungay? Después te cuento porqué!