Argentine graffiti
Mar 11th, 2007, 01:33 am
The amount of graffiti in Buenos Aires is astounding. You see it everywhere, from rich to poor neighborhoods, from tourist spots to residential areas. I’ve never seen so much street art. I don’t understand what most of them mean because they’re typically in slang, but the ones I do understand are often political and graphic (as in, using illustrations instead of words).
I don’t know why graffiti is so ubiquitous here, but perhaps it’s because of the massive political and economic turmoil Argentina has faced over the past few decades. In the U.S., graffiti is most often present in marginalized neighborhoods. It serves as a form of expression for the voiceless youth. Could it be that so many porteño (Buenos Aires residents) youngsters feel powerless and angry at the “system”?