Urban Art

Since becoming a member of the Biking Buenos Aires team, I have heard many stories about the incredible tour we offer every Sunday afternoon. Not your conventional tourist day trip around the city, we have teamed upwith the local Graffiti Mundo offering bicycle tours to some of the best displays of urban art inBuenos Aires. Finally, this past Sunday I found the time to take the tour. One word: INCREÍBLE!!!!

The difference between your average 'tagging' or even graffiti in other cities is that in BA, unless someone calls the police with intentions of pressing charges for defacing, an artist working on the wall of a building is completely legal. There are absolutely no criminal charges for painting during broad daylight, unless someone complains. Not only does this allow artists time to complete their work, but this also prevents the incrimination of young kids attempting to make their mark on the street art community. They are given the freedom to develop as artists, which you see all throughout the tour. Many of the pieces are done by locals who began painting in their teens and have been supported by tolerant communities, blossoming into incredibly talented individuals.

We passed through neighborhoods that I had not yet had the chance to visit, nor would you see as a tourist. My favorite story is about a well known bus station surrounded by art. A local artisit approached the manager, asked to paint the blank walls and was turned down. His mother, infuriated by the disrespect shown for her teenage son's talent, returned to the station and demanded that he be given the chance to improve the image of the community and liven up the terribly barren 3 meter tall walls. She must have been convincing because they conceded. What you see now is a full city block of various styles, artists, and techniques.

Other fun facts: There exists no gang mentality incorporated with urban artists in Buenos Aires; There developed a unique technique of mixing tar with petrol to create a very cheap 'paint' during the economic crisis (Seen in the two bears outside the bus station); Many homeowners ask artists to paint the outside of their home either with requests as to the content or left to the artist's discretion; And the tour ends at a bar covered, floor to ceiling with overlapping pieces from various painters. Modern art comes in all shapes and sizes. Consider a graffiti tour during your visit! xo