Graffiti artists use their craft to inform residents
SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia – Graffiti artists in this South American country are becoming increasingly popular, part of a growing movement that attempts to change the way people think by using street art.
The growth is obvious as visitors travel to the center of Santa Cruz, where the city’s walls come to life with color. Some messages speak for themselves, with clear references to political and social issues, while others need more of an interpretation.
The graffiti, near the center of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, doesn't use words to convey a meaning to the public but the message of time running out still comes across.
One of the ways graffiti is used is to express political opinions, which are regulated in mass media by Bolivia’s General Law of Telecommunications.
“The law of telecommunications is based on controlling mass media for politics,” Ramon Fernandez, a communication professor at Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno, said through an interpreter. “It is the government trying to control advertisement.”
However, artists have found a way to get around these restrictions and are still able to get their political opinion on the streets for others to see. There are two types of graffiti, the legal and the illegal form.
Adolfo Torrico, an artist at ARTErias Urbanas, a facility for expert and aspiring artists, said graffiti can be legal if the artist has the permission of the wall’s owner. This type of legal graffiti is known as street art, because it is more artistic and symbolic, full of colors, flowers and symbolic messages.
A mural along a wall in near the main square in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Different sections of the wall represent different aspects of the Bolivian culture.
Illegal graffiti, often stencils with blatant political slogans or complaints, is done at night without permission and typically has bolder messages, he said.
“We do street art to promote the city and what we do, but graffiti was born in an illegal way, so sometimes we do it illegally,” Torrico said.
Torrico sees street art as a way to reach the people when the government regulates other outlets.
“I believe that we are promoting change in the people,” Torrico said, “to promote or change at least one hour or one minute in the daily routine of some people.”
Jose Faus, a Kansas City artist who worked with the ARTErias Urbanas group on a mural three years ago, said the graffiti scene in Bolivia has evolved slowly into an art form where the message depends on each artist.
“There has been an explosion of (street art) in the three years since I was there,” Faus said. “Some of it is political and a lot of it is individualistic.”
For example, a floral mural he worked on symbolized a deadly flood that occurred 23 years ago in Santa Cruz. The flowers in the mural represent the cultural distinction between east and west Bolivia, he said.
This mural in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, represents a deadly flood that occurred 23 years ago that washed away many communities along the river. The river's name translates into 'river of fish,' so the fish are painted on the wall to mimic the flow of the river. Photo courtesy of Jose Faus.
Since leaving, Faus has kept up with the graffiti scene in Santa Cruz and said he has seen nice pieces of street art applied throughout the city. However, he has also seen some backlash against it.
“There have been calls for curtailing it,” Faus said. “I heard sentiment expressed when I was there but honestly I think those statements came from people that were equating the political tagging as graffiti art.”
Political tagging is a form of illegal graffiti, where a person with a stencil goes around and spray paints the message on walls.
This is an example of the types of political messages that are stenciled on the walls around the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This one says, "I'm going to defeat Evo... I am a camba without fear."
One recent example of this type of political tagging around the city is, “I’m going to defeat Evo… I am a camba without fear.” It refers to the upcoming presidential election and President Evo Morales’ bid for a third term. “Camba” is the word that describes a person from Santa Cruz.
Some young artists like Santiago Coro, who studies art at UAGRM, said he believes that even though graffiti can be illegal, it is important because it is the way the artists can talk.
“It’s an art that you could call prohibited because it is against the law.” Coro said, through an interpreter. “The artists only choose to make street art if they can defend the message because the police can see it.”
Graffiti messages directed at the government are found on a wall near the center of Santa Cruz. The first is a political message for the government but from a women's anti-abortion group that says "Discussing the G77 and we die." The message in the middle is from an artist, "We paint while you sleep."
Social issues such as abortion, feminism and politics are just a few of the types of illegal graffiti Coro referred to. These issues are not allowed to be advertised on mass media, according to the law of telecommunication. As a result, graffiti is used to reach the people with these social issue messages.
“I believe that [the government] have to listen to it eventually through the population because the government is there because of the people.”
When asked if the government listens to the people, Coro smiled and said, “No.”
Even though advertisements are regulated through the mass media law, artists use graffiti to express their views and opinions.
“The artists try to generate a change in their art in order to reverse something controversial,” Coro said. “In the midst of this controversy, we are listening and society will change. This is their final goal.”
Graffiti has evolved into an art form in Santa Cruz through the years. However, according to Torrico and Coro, it still has a long way to go when it comes to relaying the messages.
Bolivian student Neyi Franco Vargas and University of Arkansas student AnneDella Hines contributed to this report. Photos: ARTErias Urbanas and Jose Faus.
This story is part of the 2014 Lemke Abroad program for the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism at the University of Arkansas
