Most of the time it couldn’t be said to be an improvement on the architecture many take for granted. Spend a few days here and it’s part of the scenery. Proclamations of love for another person, a football team or a band are the bulk of it while political statements from radical to those that are sponsored by political parties take a close second.
But within your first week, you’re sure to run across a wall that makes it obvious that not all graffiti are pleas to be heard or the human equivalent of a dog pissing on a fire hydrant. You’re sure to see a single provocative stencil here or there. Within a month you’ll find that there are some places where you can see several different styles co-mingling to produce something that makes passers-by stop and consider the message, smile, admire, crane their necks and squint their eyes. While the art scene worldwide is getting more elite as time goes on, this is art by and for the people of Buenos Aires.
It’s only fitting, then, that GraffitiMundo, a company that gives graffiti tours in English, sheds light on the artists and their processes in an accessible way. Marina Charles, who leads the tours, doesn’t get bogged down with curatorial jargon that means nothing to the average viewer. She takes visitors through the history of the graffiti renaissance after the dictatorship, pointing out key art and artists off the beaten path from Chacarita to Villa Crespo and ending in Palermo.
Find yourself in Buenos Aires and advance reservations and $75 pesos (less than $20 US) will get even jaded art veterans excited about art again.
All Photos Kate Sedgwick. All Rights Reserved. ![]()
The tour starts here in Chacaritas
Massive Gualicho Piece
Two views of giraffes
Luchadors by Jaz
The founder of Run Don't WalkCollective shows us how it's done.
Casa L'Inc
Across from Casa l'Inc, bits and pieces of a wall where many have contributed.
Stencils at Tegui
Outside a photo studio, artists have surrounded this bus line termination with giant pieces.
Collective Wall Piece
Smokin' in Palermo

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