Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: Defos

The Best Street Art in South America for 2013

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If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you already know that I love street art. During my time in South America I’ve come across some really remarkable art by some very talented artists — and there are still so many places I haven’t seen! For this round-up, I’ve picked some of my favourite murals that I found in 2013. Just one thing, some of these works may have been created earlier than 2013, but since that’s when I photographed them I’m including them here. Enjoy some of the best street art in South America!

Malegría + Ene N in Buenos Aires

Malegria & ENE ENE street art in Buenos Aires, ArgentinaI’ve been a fan of Malegría’s work since I first saw it in Bogotá. When I visited Buenos Aires, I was happy to find out that it is now Malegría’s adopted home and that there are many pieces to see. One of my favourite was this mural created in collaboration with Ene N. Their work is not only beautiful but it’s also interesting how it all came together thanks to the people behind Buenos Aires Street Art. For the story go here.

 

Eney Crazis in Santiago, Chile

Street art in Santiago de Chile by Eney CrazisWalking around the Yungay neighbourhood in Santiago, I came across this pretty bird by female artist Eney Crazis. The piece is titled Textura Ornamental; I just love the colours and how well it blends with the setting. I also liked her feminine style and was happy to find more of her works around Valparaíso as well.

 

REN in Valparaiso

Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: RENRen a street artist from Chile also has a predilection for featuring birds in his murals. When I saw this awesome rooster I couldn’t resist taking a few snaps, the colours and texture are just awesome!

 

Bastardilla in Valparaiso

Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: BastardillaColombian female artist Bastardilla painted this mural for the Polanco Graffestival, which took place in Valparaiso’s Cerro Polanco on November 2012. More recently, she’s been travelling with Italian artist Ericailcane – another of my favourite muralists. They left many murals around South America and have toured Europe as well.

 

Brigada Negotropica & Charquipunk in Cochabamba

Brigada Negotropica and Charquipunk street art in Cochabamba, BoliviaCochabamba in Bolivia was a very pleasant surprise for street art. In 2011, the local organisation mARTadero held the first biennale of Urban Art and last year they organised the second edition. So there are lots of beautiful murals in the city left from these events. One of my favourites was the one above, a collaboration between Brigada Negotropica and Charquipunk.

 

Stinkfish in Valparaiso

Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: StinkfishAnother artist whose works I love to find when I travel is Stinkfish, he was actually born in Mexico but has lived in Bogotá, Colombia since an early age. His murals are based on photographs of people that he mostly takes himself and then converts into colourful murals.

 

Animales Poder Cultura in La Paz

Street art in La Paz by Animal Poder CulturaAnimales Poder Cultura (APC) is a collective of graffiti artists, some of them are based in Colombia; but I guess they’ve been travelling a bit, because when I was in La Paz I stumbled upon some of their murals. My favourite was the one above.

 

Entes & Pesimo in Valparaiso

Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: Entes + PesimoEntes & Pésimo are both from Lima, Peru. Their Latin roots are very much present in their styles and they often work together. Last year, they organised in Lima the street art festival Latido Americano, featuring artists from all over South America.

 

Azucar + Piguan in Santiago

Street Art in Santiago: Azucar & PiguanOne of the things I loved about travelling in South America was learning about new (for me) local street artists. For example in Santiago de Chile, I saw a couple of murals by locals Azúcar (which means sugar in Spanish) and Piguan, who likes to portray multi-eyed characters; like the one on the right.

Charquipunk + LRM + INTI in Valparaíso

Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: Charquipunk, INTI & LRMAnother great find in Chile, was local artist Charquipunk with his colourful characters made from loose lines. He paints lots of birds! This mural is a collaboration with other local artists La Robot de Madera (LRM) and INTI. The latest has been very busy this year, travelling around the Americas and Europe; so don’t be surprised to find one of his massive murals in your city!

 

Steep in Cochabamba

Street art in Cochabamba by SteepSteep is an artist from Ecuador, but now based in USA. This mural was made in Cochabamba for the Second Urban Art Biennale in that city. I just loved the colours of this piece and its beautiful nature.

 

Defos in Valparaiso

Street art in Valparaiso, Chile: DefosIf I had to choose just one favourite mural from all that I saw in 2013, it’d probably be this one by Defos. I love the colours, the shapes and how the artists incorporated the window into his work. This mural was also painted for the Polanco Graffestival that took place in Valparaiso at the end of 2012.

Do you enjoy seeing street art when you travel? Which is your favourite city for street art? And your favourite artist? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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960 400 Bianca Bauza

Bianca Bauza

Bianca Bauza is a world citizen who spent almost four years traveling around South America and Europe. Her passions include photography, street art, outdoor sports, and cooking exotic dishes. She's now based in the Netherlands where she lives with her partner and young daughter. She still enjoys traveling, on her own or with her family, and is always looking for an opportunity to see new places.

All stories by : Bianca Bauza
29 Comments
  • Beautiful Street Art from South America – I just can’t break away from the screen and keep scrolling up and down.

    • I agree Maria, the street art in South America turned out to be mesmerising :) There will be more coming soon, so stay tuned!

  • Wow – the intricate details on the last one – the red face – that is mind blowing – such talent

  • Fantastic street art!

    Just a few days ago I was sorting through my South America photo gallery from 2010 and I was thinking of putting together my own street art photo essay. You’ve certainly inspired me to go ahead with my planned project.

    • Awesome, Sam! I’d love to see your finds from your time in South America :) Please, let me know when you publish your post!

  • I love street art and photograph it as often as I can. I have to admit that these murals are absolutely spectacular! Thank you for the visual and cultural treat!

    • Thanks for stopping by, Leyla! I’m glad you liked my picks, it wasn’t easy to choose among the hundreds of shots I took these past months :)

  • Fantastic Bianca! Michael is always photographing street art, and has some good ones (I think several from Bogota). I think this will be an inspiration to him!

    • Thanks, Larissa! The street art scene is amazing Bogotá; unfortunately, I didn’t visit the Colombian capital last year so I couldn’t include anything for this post. But, I’ll probably be there in the next couple of months :)

  • Wow Bianca. I was going to do a post about street art in BA but I’ll defer to your better eye for pictures. What excellent colors you captured.

    • Hi, Michael and thanks for your kind comment :) Street art in Buenos Aires is always worth writing about, though!

  • I love street art, but these are amazing! I love all of the birds!

    • Me, too Corinne! I was surprised to find so many murals with bird characters :) On the other hand, I think it makes sense with all the beautiful birds one finds in South America.

  • Wow! Beautiful! Good job capturing it all.
    Frank (bbqboy)

  • I LOVE checking out street art in new cities, and I think my favorite city for it so far has been Bogota. Or Berlin. It might be a tie. Both are great!

    • I totally agree with you, Britany! Berlin is still my favourite city for street art in Europe (followed closely by London). Soon, I’ll be visiting Bogotá and can’t wait to see what’s new on its streets! Thanks for stopping by :)

  • Love the photos Bianca!! Have to get to Bogota too…

  • Seems like you really like Chilean Street Artists the majority of works here are by Chileans. It’s a powerhouse scene coming on strong. Check this trailer
    for our film in progress Chile Estyle http://youtu.be/sDbscAaiLXc

    • True! I was expecting to like Valparaíso a lot since I had heard a lot about; but I was totally surprised by the street art in Santiago. Thanks so much for sharing the video and I’m looking forward to your film release :)

  • Oh wow it’s all absolutely gorgeous!!! LOVE!

  • Absolutely beautiful…

  • Gorgeous photos and artwork. I have spent a fair amount of time in South America as well and your post brought back a lot of memories of Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. Thanks, Tim

  • Mary @ Green Global Travel

    Wow, such details and colors! It’s crazy how amazing street art can be! Thanks for sharing!

    • Thanks, Mary! Street art in South America has a very distinct character. I was very impressed by what I saw during my trip there. I’m glad you like it too!

  • Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com

    Wow, these are amazing! I’ve seen some lovely street art in Berlin and Penang, but these are way more gorgeous and more detailed.

    • Yes, Aleah, South America is a very special place for street art. It’s so colorful and filled with local characters and influences. It was great to visit so many of these cities with such amazing art displayed outside for everyone to see! I’m sure you’ll like it too when you go there :) Thanks for stopping by!

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