Bogotá Graffiti Tour
Monday, 14 May 2018
Bogotá Grafitti Tour
http://bogotagraffiti.com/
We were first introduced to Street Art (as distinguished from Graffiti) when we were in Melbourne, Australia. Not surprisingly the Bogotá Graffiti Tour was the brainchild of an Aussie in 2011. It is one of the best ever tours we have ever done.
Aside from excelling in fine arts (e.g., Botero and Gabriel García Marquez) Colombia’s embrace and decriminalization of graffiti gave birth to a free outlet of creativity that has garnered international attention. We noticed the magnificent murals when we were coming into the city from the airport, not knowing that this is fast becoming the signature of Bogotá and, in fact, Colombia.
We met at the Parque de los Periodistas (Journalists' Park). As today is a holiday (Fátima Madona Day?) there were at least 50 people in our tour group. Carlos had a microphone, so we could hear him well, even if there was traffic.
Bogotá Grafitti Tour
http://bogotagraffiti.com/
We were first introduced to Street Art (as distinguished from Graffiti) when we were in Melbourne, Australia. Not surprisingly the Bogotá Graffiti Tour was the brainchild of an Aussie in 2011. It is one of the best ever tours we have ever done.
Aside from excelling in fine arts (e.g., Botero and Gabriel García Marquez) Colombia’s embrace and decriminalization of graffiti gave birth to a free outlet of creativity that has garnered international attention. We noticed the magnificent murals when we were coming into the city from the airport, not knowing that this is fast becoming the signature of Bogotá and, in fact, Colombia.
While our guide Carlos is not a grafitero himself, he is very knowledgeable about the art form (and speaks excellent English!).
We met at the Parque de los Periodistas (Journalists' Park). As today is a holiday (Fátima Madona Day?) there were at least 50 people in our tour group. Carlos had a microphone, so we could hear him well, even if there was traffic.
Graffiti is prohibited, but not illegal in Bogotá. Police cannot arrest grafiteros nor can they confiscate their art materials. They can, however, issue a ticket and a fine as much as $100USD.
At our first stop we learned about graffiti writing. Graffiti writing, like tags, are done with spay paint. We started at a wall representing three artists from APC (Animal Power Crew). The APC, is the largest crew in Colombia, boasting 40 artists. The crew includes men and women and it may actually be the biggest crew in all of Latin America. Hox, whose moniker can be seen to the left, is actually Australian. He employs the spray paint can in such a way as to create a 3-D effect on the wall.
We left the touristic area and ventured into the "hood" to learn about social-political graffiti. While the first graffiti was probably the petroglyphs on cave walls, it experienced a resurgence during Colombia's Civil War, serving as an outlet for artists to express their frustrations with the political system and other social issues.
The wall above depicts the plight of homeless people and was painted by a grafitero who goes by the moniker DJ Lu and whose identity is unknown. DJ Lu is supposedly an architect and university professor who lives to create street art that reflects social commentary.
The woman on the left was painted by a founding member of the APC. This artist was born in Mexico and has traveled the world, painting facades in Germany, China, Australia...
This "circle wall" is in the Parque de los Periodistas and was painted in three weeks. It is actually about a block long. The owners of the wall loved it so much that they paid to have it treated with a special anti-graffiti substance (although it is considered a no-no to write on anyone else's street art...).
Environmental street art is yet another genre. This is when the artist is consigned to use the shape and architecture of the building to create a 3-D effect such as the dragon to the left. This took 1 week to complete - and was with the permission of the owner.
Ditto the Hummingbird with the flower that is integrated into the ceiling of the apartment patio.
The lion is truly magnificent and guards the entry to Bogatá's #1 best lunch restaurant.
The "cat wall" is maybe best of show. It wraps around the building and, if you stand in just the right spot, you can see that the artist has incorporated the street lamp on the sidewalk to create the optical illusion that it is part of the wall itself (compare photos that were taken fromdifferent vantage points).
The wall to the right is enormous. It borders a small playground. The artist, who like DJ Lu remains anonymous, goes by the moniker Bastardilla. She painted this entire wall in one week with no help and no scaffolding, using brushes and brooms held aloft on long poles.
This playground was once where addicts hung out and where robberies took place. A family of street artists (father + two sons) were commissioned to transform the space into the playground it was meant to be.
It took Malegría, his father and older brother 60 days to paint 43 different surfaces of this playground. The steps, also part of the playground, depict the legend of Chiminigagua, the father of humanity.
The images below are from a wall that is 2 blocks long. It was commissioned by the government and depicts how nature must flee technology in order t survive. These photos are from the survival end of the enormous mural. The use of color, the technique, the entire project is magnificent.
This last one was not part of our tour, but is in our neighborhood. We have walked by it every day.
At our first stop we learned about graffiti writing. Graffiti writing, like tags, are done with spay paint. We started at a wall representing three artists from APC (Animal Power Crew). The APC, is the largest crew in Colombia, boasting 40 artists. The crew includes men and women and it may actually be the biggest crew in all of Latin America. Hox, whose moniker can be seen to the left, is actually Australian. He employs the spray paint can in such a way as to create a 3-D effect on the wall.  |
| Tamborguerrero = Drum Soldie |
We left the touristic area and ventured into the "hood" to learn about social-political graffiti. While the first graffiti was probably the petroglyphs on cave walls, it experienced a resurgence during Colombia's Civil War, serving as an outlet for artists to express their frustrations with the political system and other social issues.
The wall above depicts the plight of homeless people and was painted by a grafitero who goes by the moniker DJ Lu and whose identity is unknown. DJ Lu is supposedly an architect and university professor who lives to create street art that reflects social commentary.
The woman on the left was painted by a founding member of the APC. This artist was born in Mexico and has traveled the world, painting facades in Germany, China, Australia...
I know nothing of the artist of the green boy. I just liked it.
In addition to graffiti writing and social-political graffiti, there is also artistic graffiti.
This "circle wall" is in the Parque de los Periodistas and was painted in three weeks. It is actually about a block long. The owners of the wall loved it so much that they paid to have it treated with a special anti-graffiti substance (although it is considered a no-no to write on anyone else's street art...). 
Environmental street art is yet another genre. This is when the artist is consigned to use the shape and architecture of the building to create a 3-D effect such as the dragon to the left. This took 1 week to complete - and was with the permission of the owner.
Ditto the Hummingbird with the flower that is integrated into the ceiling of the apartment patio.
The lion is truly magnificent and guards the entry to Bogatá's #1 best lunch restaurant.
The "cat wall" is maybe best of show. It wraps around the building and, if you stand in just the right spot, you can see that the artist has incorporated the street lamp on the sidewalk to create the optical illusion that it is part of the wall itself (compare photos that were taken fromdifferent vantage points).
The wall to the right is enormous. It borders a small playground. The artist, who like DJ Lu remains anonymous, goes by the moniker Bastardilla. She painted this entire wall in one week with no help and no scaffolding, using brushes and brooms held aloft on long poles.
Her work recognized around the world, much of it centering on the themes of feminism, the trials of Latin American women, and the fight to end violence in Latin America. "In Colombia," she says, "violence is still something that is very present."
This playground was once where addicts hung out and where robberies took place. A family of street artists (father + two sons) were commissioned to transform the space into the playground it was meant to be.
It took Malegría, his father and older brother 60 days to paint 43 different surfaces of this playground. The steps, also part of the playground, depict the legend of Chiminigagua, the father of humanity.
This last one was not part of our tour, but is in our neighborhood. We have walked by it every day.
THE CAT WALL!!!!!! OMG! Amazing!!!! Was that whole tour on foot? What a great outing!!!!
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