Yes, I’m getting a late start on last week’s challenge, but better late than never! This past week’s WordPress Photo Challenge theme was Old, and having just returned from Italy, I had plenty of “old” to choose from, but I wanted to shoot for the less obvious, so how about this: Old Graffiti!
Graffiti dates back to the 19th century in Raphael's Rooms in the Vatican
Santiago de Chile–city full of nooks and crannies and little secrets right under your nose–no wonder I love it.
Despite having lived here “forever” it took a foreigner less than 2 days in Chile (that’s you @cfarivar) to find a place I’d walked by a zillion times and never noticed! So the other night, after an incredible Chinese meal at Mr. Wu (which I’ll leave for another post), the four of us were still enjoying ourselves too much to go home, and as we zipped along Alameda (Santiago’s main drag), I asked if anyone had ever heard of what had been described as an “unpretentious” bar called 777… and the next thing you know, there we were, standing in front of the entrance with no sign, a barely legible and heavily tarnished brass street number about 8 feet up, a tattered liquor license posted above that, and a steep and winding, dark, and heavily graffitied stairway leading to who knows where… Continue reading
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! Continue reading
Posted in Art, Graffiti, Street Art * Arte Callejero
Tagged Basco, Chile, Diego Portales, graffiti, KiltrV, Nebs Pereira, Piguan, popular culture, popular expressions, public space, Santiago, Vazko, Villavicencio, We Are C3, wild style
This gallery contains 4 photos.
Classic graffiti on the north bank of the Río Mapocho, Santiago de Chile. Continue reading
Santiago Centro: Little Chinchinero
I love graffiti. Street art. Legal or illegal (with or without permission), I am happy to see artistic expression in spaces that would otherwise be blank or filled with commercial advertising. Of course I’m not talking about vandalistic magic marker scribbling, but rather true works of urban art. Chile has an impressive and particularly rich culture of urban art that stretches back for decades. Forget what New Yorkers have to say about subway graffiti in the 70s or hip hop in the 80s. Chile has a long tradition that not only tolerates, but even encourages, artistic expression in public places. Continue reading
Posted in Art, Graffiti, Street Art * Arte Callejero
Tagged Chile, Chinchinero, cultura popular, Gabriela Mistral, graffiti, kiltro, mural, Santiago, street art, urban culture
No hay nada como un poco de Elvis -es decir, el mismísimo Elvis Junior chileno- para alegrar una tarde santiaguina. Click here for English
Elvis Junior and his amazing homemade 1-man band
Santiago tiene su cuota de personajes, esas personas de la calle que todo el mundo reconoce, aquellos que son parte esencial del paisaje urbano y que aportan una dimensión humana que hace de esta ciudad un Santiago inequívocamente santiaguino. Continue reading
Cachando Chile: Reflections on Chilean Culture 
Graffiti as Social Commentary in Temuco, Chile
Guest post by Marmo, April 2011
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Posted in Art, Graffiti, Public Space, Street Art * Arte Callejero
Tagged Chile, graffiti, PostaWeek2011, social commentary, street art, Temuco