In Chile, walls and public buildings are blank canvases to express dissent, frustration and hope. Bridges across dry riverbeds in the Atacama desert are daubed with slogans demanding the equitable distribution of Chile’s water, and graffiti on rural bus stops demand the restitution of Indigenous lands from forestry companies. Every inch of the bohemian port city Valparaíso is plastered with paint and posters.
“Chile is a nation of muralists,” said Patricio Rodríguez-Plaza, an academic at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. “Our walls are where we communicate – it’s how we use our public space.”
One renowned street artist spent two weeks transforming a water tower at the country’s national stadium.
“I have always had a strong social conscience,” Alejandro “Mono” González exclaimed brightly. “The fight was born inside me, it just didn’t…
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Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 23 August 2024