A lot of you may frown when looking at street art, thinking it’s an attempt to ruin the city’s walls. Well, in Buenos Aires, it’s a totally different story. Here, graffitis are more encouraged and appreciated than elsewhere. They tend to make the city look colorful and joyful.
It all goes back to 2001, when the economic crisis hit the country with the devaluation of the Peso and the default of the government’s debts. Street art came as a response to this social and economic constant unrest. Young Argentines took out their anger on public spaces, expressing their emotions and feelings by coloring and drawing. They created a new wave of graffiti art, perhaps the world’s largest artistic social experiment.
Even though most graffitis don’t have a real political connection, one graffiti character you must have come across a few times “El Nestornauta” represents the former president Nestor Kirchner. After his death, “El Nestornauta” was drawn all over the city in order to honor the president and show respect for his achievements. This character represents a hero from an an Argentine famous comic book, with the face of Nestor, who saved BA from the “Apocalypse”.
