S TREE T A R T O F
B AR CE LON A
There’s one element of Barcelona that’s difficult to miss; the
street art. It’s everywhere, sprawled on the sides of buildings
and on the front of shops. Brenda Lettison from Travel Antics
tells us everything you need to know about urban art in
Barcelona. m do ex eu feugait
Barcelona is a hub of edgy and con-
temporary life. Throughout time it
has been known for taking an extra
step away from the classical main-
stream style and creating something
highly unique and magnificent, from
the Gaudi architecture to the Joan
Miro sculptures. But over time artists
moved from the traditional ways of
showcasing their work and soon the
streets were alive with vibrancy and
intrigue, making Barcelona one of
the world leaders in the street art
movement.
was Keith Haring who in 1989 travelled to El Raval,
a notorious drug hot spot, where he painted a
murial he dubbed ‘Todos Juntos Podemos Parar
el SIDA’ (together we can stop AIDS). He incor-
porated some of his trademarks, and produced
the work free of charge, hoping it would inspire
change. Between 1999 and 2005 more and more
street artists made their way to Barcelona, all
trying to become noticed. In fact, it was in this
time frame that Barcelona became the unofficial
capital of graffiti art.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know your Banksy from
your Morley, it’s easy to find a deep appreciation of an
art movement that’s taking the world by storm, and
Barcelona will flame a burning passion or help you dis-
cover a new love for metropolitan artwork.
There are many street artists who call Barcelona
home, many of them who rose to fame thanks to
showcasing their work on the streets. El Xupet
Negre gained recognition after he began paint-
ing black dummies all over the city, leading
many people to question their meaning and who
painted them. Barcelona- born artist Btoy earned
her fame from her detailed stencil work, often
depicting female activists and singers. She has
now exhibited her work in Morocco, Bosnia and
even Mexico. But the name on everyone’s lips
right now is El Pez, world renowned artist from
the Barcelona suburb of Sant Andra. He’s taken
his work from the Barcelona and distributed it
across the world. You can find his smiling fish on
the sides of buildings in cities such as London
and Miami.
The urban art movement began after
the death of Spanish General Francis
Franco on 20 November 1975, who
ruled Spain as a military dictator for
35 years. The patriarchy seemed to
die with him and it was this that lead
to a new sense of freedom. Artists
travelled to Barcelona and started
to paint on the city’s streets. But the
artist who truly began the movement
14 Clickstay
June 2017
June 2017
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