#dj lu

Los hechos son desafortunados. Hace pocos días, un artista callejero sufrió un ataque por Chapinero mientras defendía a alguien.  Los detalles no importan, eso déjeselo a los medios amarillistas, pero algo que si nos ha impactado a todos es que tras el incidente, ODIO, nombre bajo el cual artista firma sus obras, fue víctima de heridas que comprometieron la movilidad de sus brazos, o en otras…

Walls Speak Volumes in Bogotá

What do monochromatic walls have that graffitied walls do not? A sense of coherence, I guess, but that is not what civilization is about. Cities are made up of thousands of voices, the majority of which are never heard. The fact that Bogotá allows and even encourages the illustration of their public spaces provides a platform for the countless voices that might otherwise…

If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them – Graffiti Art In Bogota Colombia

If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them – Graffiti Art In Bogota, Colombia

“Graffiti is not about clean lines, pretty colors and beautiful blends. Graffiti is my life’s turbulence exploded on a wall.” Mint Serf

Graffiti started in Bogotá in the seventies with different futbol fans proclaiming their loyalty. It was a time of drug cartels, poverty and a repressed military society.The graffiti was a way…

DJ LU - El Conde

LESIVO + TOXICOMANO + DJ LU - Paideia

While jobhunting a couple of weeks ago, I found myself with the odd few hours of downtime in between traveling to and attending interviews and faffing around with my CV. I decided to finally check out the Bogotá graffiti tour, which I'd read about and which sounded like a cool way to pass a few hours and hopefully see a different side to the city.

We set off from Las Aguas in the city centre, and mainly wandered around the Candelaria district. The whole tour took around two and a half hours and was very well presented and informative. It was led by an Aussie physiotherapist and street artist who knows a lot of the artists represented on the tour personally and has witnessed the rise of graffiti and street art in the Colombian capital first hand after coming here a few years ago.

Unfortunately I didn't take notes during the tour, so I've forgotten who painted most of the art work shown in the photos, but there was a great mix of local artists like Stinkfish (see first photo below) and DJ LU and international graffiteros like Pez (Barcelona) and our tour guide himself, who paints under the nom de plume Crisp.

Pez's signature character - a really fucking creepy fish

On Calle 12B with Carrera 4, near where I did my CELTA course

A restaurant near the Chorro, where the local students go to get pissed

One of the dozens of hostels in the Candelaria neighbourhood

A collaborative mural by a local crew and some individual artists

Another Stinkfish stencil piece. He apparently works from photographs he takes of people in the street.

A massive mural by Bastardilla, one of the few openly feminist voices in the graffiti scene. Her work often focuses on violence against women as well as poverty and environmental concerns.

One way the street artists make money here is to take on commercial commissions like film posters. There is a massive one on my way into the city centre for The Expendables 2, which actually looks alright.

Toxicomano are probably the most punk bunch of graffiteros in Bogotá. Their work is a lot less playful and more frontloaded with critical statements about  the media, politicians and the corporate 'elite'.

Another collaborative mural, this time with the Monserrate church in the background.

A socio-critical, collaborative mural made by DJ LU, Toxicomano, Stinkfish and a guy called Lesivo on Calle 20 with Carrera 5.

Since the tour, I've been keeping my eyes open for more street art and graffiti, and it's true - there seems to be a very healthy scene in Bogotá, aided by a somewhat muddled legal situation and the creativity and persistence of the artists involved.