Mexico City, Medellin and Berlin: street art capitals

Jenaro (art director and founder), Álex (creator), Andrik Noble (spray expert) and Frank Muñoz (the most versatile painter) make up Street Art Chilango. Its only objective is to promote street art in Mexico City, as can be seen on this wall of an antique shop in Colonia Condesa, painted three years ago on the Day of the Dead, based on a photo that Jenaro had taken the same day in Berlin.

Jenaro painted this Frida Kahlo portrait in a new style that the artist wants to start using. He calls it ‘stripes’ and it’s done using a stencil template made of vinyl. The funnest part comes when, after he finishes painting with a wide variety of colours, it looks like there’s nothing but a big blob of paint on the wall. That’s when he asks passersby to help him take of the pieces of vinyl. The image is revealed gradually as they become participants in the work of art and feel like artists themselves.

Mexico City is also the birthplace of renowned artists. One of them is Jesús Benítez – aka Dhear – who lives and works there. His style mixes classic painting, post-muralism and illustration. This work is part of a 2013 commission from the Health Secretariat and the Toy Museum to decorate the facades of hospitals. Entitled Similia Similibus Curentur, it can be seen at the National Homeopathic Hospital.

The artist and his works have been part of a large number of both national and international exhibitions, accompanying designers, visual artists, illustrators and muralists from all over the world. His works can be seen throughout the country. Siddharta (2011) is located in the Oaxaca city centre; it is part of a series of murals scattered around the republic that illustrate and decontextualise the famous novel by Hermann Hesse. The project was commissioned by Galería Border, dedicated to contemporary culture since 2006.

Many of its artists are strongly influenced by folklore, Mexican traditions and pop culture. This is reflected in Tejedores de Sueños (2010)  by the artist Saner, in collaboration with Sego, which can be found in the Museum of Popular Culture. It represents his vision of Mexico, where the heroes are the men and women who work day by day to better the country.

In Berlin, Europe’s capital of street art par excellence, international institutions are committed to its preservation. Urban Nation is one; its façade was recently renovated by the Dutch artist Stephan Theren – Super A – which invokes the Roman goddess of justice in No Justice. Just Us and invites viewers to make their own free interpretation of the work.

Since 2013, Urban Nation has been transforming facades into huge outdoor art galleries. However, last September its own museum – Urban Nation: Museum for urban contemporary art – opened its doors. We find examples of facades in Wassertorstraße, south of Berlin, with Daphne & Apollo, by Francisco Bosoletti and Young Jarus.

Last May, the best of the international street art scene met up in Berlin during the Berlin Mural Fest. Four of the walls were designed under the direction of Urban Nation. ELLE – one of the most well-known of the emerging artists – surprised everyone with her collage technique. Somos muchos, pero siempre uno (We’re many, but always one) shows important women from different periods in history. Together, they represent the timeless debates on women’s rights.

Another artist, Jadore Tong – better known as Syrus – began in the late 1980s. He is focused on challenges and his work ranges from collages on canvas and 3D art objects to murals in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district.

Syrus – the acronym of Save Your Rich Untouchable Soul – hopes that his works will create something that has never existed before, something out of the ordinary that might be good for the future and serve as a source of inspiration, besides making good vibes palpable in his paintings. For him, any form of art is connected. He painted NoComment in 2014, in the same district.

A legendary stage in the German capital is the East Side Gallery, the biggest part of the Berlin Wall that remains standing. Gabriel Heimler makes the case that street artists often magnify their style and ideas, trying to put the spotlight on something unique to the city and its people. In their works, he’s interested in identifying a location with its history and the people involved in it. The Wall Jumper (1989) is a clear example of this belief.

In this Colombian city, art tells the history of a social transformation. Comuna 13 was one of the troubled areas in Medellin, and the Casa Kolacho collective emerged as an alternative to violence through hip-hop culture.

Its members were the artists commissioned with the vast majority of works shown in this district of the Antioquia’s capital. The aim is to wash away the violent image of the past with these creations.

For the past eight years, Graffitour – an initiative of the young artists that make up Casa Kolacho – have been trying to show the world the transformation their area is immersed in through a tour of the works of art.

There are other groups also trying to bring Medellin culture closer to tourists. Toucan Café & Tours – a pioneer in this mission – offers a daily tour in English and is the main financial support for the Casa Kolacho project.