The magic behind #StreetArt
In the last few years, I have had the joy of travelling the world and street art has become a good companion and one of my greatest fellows. I have seen murals in Los Angeles, Auckland, Christchurch, Kaikoura, Sydney, Brisbane, Nimbin, Kuala Lumpur, Kerala, Puducherry, Darjeeling, Varanasi, New Delhi, Palermo, Madrid, Barcelona, Dublin, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Bacalar, Havana, Rio de Janeiro, Playa del Carmen, Oslo and Berlin.
I have seen many pieces and my eyes have been filled with ideas, drawings and expressions that live in the neighborhood, in the city, in the streets.
Because street art is everywhere, the magic is to find it.
Some people say that the first expressions of street art emerged in the neighbourhoods of New York in the 1920s. Soon the movement began to gain strength and travel to various cities around the world. The train tracks, the fences and the underground world, were the main canvas for urban artists. Thus, by the 1960s the movement reached London, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham, Paris, Berlin and Prague, to mention a few cities. The 80's and 90's were filled with art, painting and demonstrations against the status quo and the abuse of power.
Some separate street art from graffiti, and others say that one could not exist without the other. Also, some point out that the difference between the two is that street art is made by people who are experienced in the trade and graffiti focuses on drawing texts, signatures and names as a trademark. The truth is that Graffiti existed first (since ancient times) and that both are inspired by taking advantage of the urban context to send a message, which usually touches social fibers before the established system. It’s a popular message, it’s everyone’s art.
If we have to mention the main influences of contemporary street art, it is essential to remember artists like Bansky, Vhils, BLU, Bleck Le Rat, Eduardo Kobra, Keith Haring, David Choe and Os Gemeos in Brazil. In Bansky’s case, much of his magic and popularity lies in his unknown identity. The uknown “Englishman” has stayed out of the spotlight and kept his identity a secret. His interventions are surprising and unexpected; he is a genius who works from the shadows of silence and anonymity.
Also, it is worth noting that street art is not exclusively the art of painting a mural, many times art takes advantage of and intervenes in urban space to create any type of artistic and popular expression. There is street art in sculpture, plastic arts, theatre, dance and space design.
In the end, and on a personal level, street art means having the opportunity to capture an artistic idea so that it comes to life between time and space. It will always be one of the means of expression closest to people, because it emerges and lives among people. Most of the time, it will be from a position of rebellion against political, social and economic power structures. Other times, it will reflect the imagination and creativity of so many pilgrims who walk the streets of the world as I do.
Perhaps that is why I am so attracted to street art, because one day I would like to learn to paint and be able to leave my ideas on a canvas in a city. Someday it will be like that.
