Cartagena Street Art – Getsemani Rising

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As my trip around South America was coming to an end, I was looking forward to spending a couple of days walking around Cartagena. I wanted to see how the Cartagena street art scene had changed since last time I visited. A few of the murals I saw then are still around, but there was a lot of new pieces thanks mostly to the Ciudad Mural street art festival which took place in the neighbourhood of Getsemaní last December.

This was the first edition of the festival. The event organisers invited 40 artists, both locals and from abroad, to paint 35 murals that would celebrate Getsemaní’s historical heritage. These are some of my favourite works, enjoy!

This massive colourful mural by Colombian artist DEXS is impossible to miss if you walk on Calle de la Sierpe. Almost right next to it, there is this beautiful work by DJ Lu. I remember first seeing his works on the streets of Bogota a couple of years ago, it’s fascinating to see how his art has evolved and become even more interesting. 

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Nearby on Plaza de la Trinidad, there were the following two pieces which I loved! The first one features a black bird called Maria Mulata, which is the official bird of Cartagena. It’s a gorgeous piece by Colombian artist Yurika, to see more about how it was created check out his page. Next, on the wooden doors of a bar is La Heroica, a stencil art piece by London-based artist Fin DAC.

The next two pieces are by Colombian artist Ceroker. I loved his style of simple shapes and bright colours. The first mural is right across Plaza del Pozo and the second one can be found in Calle Larga.

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Not too far from there, I was pleased to find this colourful mural by Catalan artist Pez. The first time I saw some of his works was when I used to live in Barcelona and the city was covered in his characteristic Happy Style. Since then, I’ve seen his murals in lots of places, but never in Cartagena.

Finally, on the broad Playa Pedregosa street there’s a collection of several murals. My favourites were the ones by AMBS and La Plaga, both pictured below.

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For those who’d like to know more about Getsemaní’s historical heritage and current struggle with gentrification, I’d recommend you watch this video. Also, on the last part you’ll find the full collection of murals of the street art festival Ciudad Mural.

If you want to see more photos from Cartagena, have a look at my gallery.

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Have you been to Cartagena? What did you think of its street art scene? Leave a comment, I’d love to know!

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