Spanish Graffiti

While I was reading the article, 5Pointz, a Graffiti Mecca in Queens, Is Wiped Clean Overnight, images of graffiti shot into my head from when I was in Spain a few months ago. I was drawn to them during my travels because of a sudden interest spurred on by a Banksy lesson that I had prepared for my students. As I think back on it, it was probably my most popular lesson. In fact, it produced the most lively discussion out of all the ones we had. Why is that? What is it about graffiti that drew me and my students in? Conformity vs. Non-conformity? Creation and rebellion? That is food for another entry altogether.

Madrid's graffiti scene wasn't anything spectacular, but it did offer something unique as far as my graffiti knowledge is concerned. I'm talking about roll-up doors (puertas enrollables) of small businesses throughout the city. These were usually spray painted over by hired graffiti artists in order to deter vandalism, or what I like to call "bad graffiti"; in essence, using graffiti to fight graffiti.

A graffitied kiosk in Madrid by the famous graffiti artist, Muelle.

A graffitied wall near Puerta del Ángel

Now, it seemed that the rest of the city gave way to a battleground of tags or phrases. Generally speaking, tags are not aesthetically pleasing, but some along el Paseo de Extremadura are elaborately done giving off the vibe that they were done more to show off talent than to claim territory. But out of all the graffiti I saw in the capital, nothing really compared to what I saw in Cartagena.

Cartagena is located in the region of Murcia on the Mediterranean coast and is known for its naval station, Roman theater, and historical importance during the Roman Empire. It is not known for Graffiti. So, I was lucky to come across urban works of art. Here are a few examples. I really wish I had taken more pictures.

¡Hasta luego!