Research Project: Street Art in Colombia (posted by Annie)

Introduction

The reason why I chose this topic, What are the three main themes in Colombian street art?, is because I like drawing, painting and sketching, so this was the perfect question. In Medellin, before I started my project, we saw some graffiti that had ducks with sunglasses on. This sparked my interest in graffiti and street art. 

My dad gave me a few websites because I did not have a clear understanding of the difference between street art and graffiti. The differences between graffiti and street art are:

Graffiti	Street Art
Signing your name, symbols, ect.	Deeper meaning, political themes
Usually illegal	Usually legal
Using spray paint	Using different materials
Often solo	Often collaboration

(“The Evolution of Street Art: How Graffiti Shaped Urban Culture” ; “The Trendy Art, What's The Difference Between Street Art and Graffiti?”)  

Methodology & Thesis

For my project, I read fourteen websites about street art, Colombian history, and Colombia's biodiversity. I also went to three museums: one about the Gunuyala, one about the Quimbaya, and another on the civil war in Colombia. Finally, I did three walking tours: two in Medellin and one in Pereira.

After four weeks of research, I believe that the three most important themes in Colombian street art are hope, Afro-indigenous culture, and biodiversity. 

Section 1: Political Instability and the Coming of Hope

One of the main themes in Colombian street art is political instability and the coming of hope. 

From 1966 to 2016 Colombia had multiple civil wars, and some people think that they are still going on (Fren). There were many armed groups such as FARC, ELN, M-19, AUC, the para-militaries, and more (Davis 174-184). According to Wade Davis, an author from Canada, the armed groups were fighting over power, land, drug trafficking -- over 200,000 people died (Davis 174-184). In 2016, there was a peace deal with FARC and the government, so that the FARC would lay down their weapons and turn into a political party (“Peace in Colombia"). However, there is still a lot of work to do towards making Colombia a safer place. I learned from our walking tour guide, Esteban, that 300 gangs may still be in Comuna 13, and that 1 gram of cocaine in the U.S costs $100 and .75 cents in Colombia (Esteban).

In Medellin, when we were walking around, I saw lots of different types of public art that represents political instability and hope. This Botero sculpture shows that even after 50 years of war, there is still hope. In 1995, during a celebration of the new metro in Medellin, a bomb was placed under the bird sculpture on the left Photo 1. Twenty-two people were killed. Botero, who wanted to restore Medellin, donated a new bird sculpture, but insisted that the old one must stay so that people never forget what happened during the civil war (Fren).

Photo 1.

When we were walking back from the tour, we saw Photo 2. This mural is under a highway in Medellin, which makes it more dark and moody. The fact that it has skeletons dancing with the Grim Reaper and singing makes you feel shivers. I feel like it depicts how many people were killed and that we forget what happened. The difference between the Botero and the skeletons is that the Botero makes people feel hopeful for the future, whilst the skeletons makes people feel despair and that the future will never change. Sometimes street art in Colombia is about despair, while other times it’s about hope.

Photo 2.

Photo 3 is complicated. We saw this mural on a walking tour in Comuna 13, which is a neighborhood in Medellin, one of the poorest in the city (Esteban). It begins with a black and white frame and a sad little boy sitting on steps leading to a broken clock. Around him is a chess set with hands controlling the pieces. I think that this says that it was a never ending time during the civil war and that people did not fix “The Clock”. The hands that were controlling the chess pieces show that the people were controlled by a higher power. This shows that there was no hope during the conflict. The next frame shows a young girl holding up her hand and a rainbow with the Colombian flag colors coming out of it. The background looks something like Comuna 13. There are two hands with different races, making a heart. This shows that we can all come together to make peace.

Photo 3.

So, the main idea in Colombian street art is the coming of hope, despair and political instability.

Section 2: Indigenous and Afro Culture

Another main theme I learnt from Colombian street art was the afro-indigenous culture. 

Colombia has many indigenous groups such as the Quimbaya, Gunuyala and Wayuu, but I focused on the Quimbaya and the Gunuyala. 4.31% of Colombia is indigenous. Before the Spanish arrived there were 6 million indigenous people. However, after the Spanish conquest, the population of Colombia was lowered to only 750,000 people. My family and I stayed in Filandia, a small small town in the coffee country, that is next to a city that is famous for its Quimbaya artifacts. The Quimbaya were known for their intricate gold, copper and silver trinkets (“Indigenous peoples in Colombia”).

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The Spanish brought slaves from countries like the Congo, Liberia, Senegal and were transported to Cartagena. 9.34% of Colombia is African. They brought at least 250,000 slaves. But thankfully, 170 years ago, the government ended slavery. (“Palenque San Basilio, Bolivar, Maroon Community in Colombia” CNN). When the Spanish came, they divided the races into groups. The “Zambos” were people who were born from the indigenous people and black people. 

Photo 4 is in Medellin. It shows a lady probably of African descent wearing the indigenous clothing from the Gunayula tribe from the Caribbean coast. In Panama, I went to a museum about the Gunuyala tribe. I learnt that they make clothes for special occasions. It takes them days but they only wear them once. She is smiling and has fish earrings. To the left of her is a man with Quimbaya-like gold jewelry on. To the right of her is a man with an African mask. I feel like this is about the “Zambos”, the people whose parents were African and indigenous.

Photo 4.

Photo 5 is also in Medellin. It shows what looks like an African dance. It has parcially nude people wearing masks, banging on drums, and dancing. The Spanish tried to ban the drums. (“Palenque San Basilio, Bolivar, Maroon Community in Colombia” CNN). Their dancing symbolizes resistance to the slavery. I saw the drums when I lived in Africa. This links back to my topic because it tells us about all the African traditions left behind because of the slavery. 

Photo 5.

Photo 6 has two beautiful girls. One has an afro and the other has long hair. The one with an afro looks like she is wearing Quimbaya jewelry. The Quimbaya used their jewelry to show their rank, gender and age. I saw this jewelry at the museum in Armenia. This is a synthesis (my dad gave me this word) of the Quimbaya and the native Africans coming together. It also talks about the “Zambos” because of the two races.

Photo 6.

Section 3: Biodiversity

Colombia is known for its street art and biodiversity. So why not combine them?

Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, with 10% of the planet's biodiversity. It is home to 178 types of humming birds, 400 varieties of fruit, 314 types of ecosystems such as wetlands, desert areas and sea grass meadows, and three mountain ranges such as the Andes, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Three Cordilleras (“Colombia's Majestic Mountain Ranges: Guardians of Biodiversity and Culture”). Colombia, for all I know, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. I went to Cocora Valley, and saw the biodiversity in the Andes, with the wax palm trees and birds.

Pereira, in the central part of Colombia, is known for its street art that has to do with bio diversity. I did a tour of the street art in Pereira and here is what I learnt.

Photo 7 shows a colorful face with mountain-like lines coming out of it. Our tour guide told us that the red streaks represent climate change. According to the World Bank, “Colombia ranks 10th globally in terms of ecological risk posed by climate change” (“Colombia - Vulnerability | Climate Change Knowledge Portal”). This is bad because one of the main tourist attractions are the biodiversity, wax palms, and the mountain ranges

Photo 6.

Photo 8 comes from the poorest part of Pereira. The government paid for this mural to bring money and tourism to the neighborhood. This mural shows a Pava Caucana, a native bird to Colombia. There are 1,912 confirmed bird species in Colombia. According to WCS Colombia, “Their diet is primarily frugivorous, supplemented with leaves, flowers, and invertebrates. It is found in fragmented areas of tropical rainforest in the inter-Andean valleys associated with the Cauca and Magdalena Rivers in Colombia” (“Pava caucana”). They are also endangered. This shows the biodiversity.

Photo 7.

According to Street Art Cities (“Street Art Cities”), Photo 9 was voted as the best mural IN THE WORLD! It is called “Metephora”. It has a young girl with indigenous clothing and makeup on. She is holding a glowing heart, as if the new generation is keeping the traditional heart of biodiversity alive. Next to her are a Speckled Bear and a Red Howler Monkey. It symbolizes harmony. What is cool about this mural is that it shows all three themes that I think are in Colombian street art: hope for the next generation, biodiversity with the animals, and indigenous culture with the clothing.

Photo 9.

Conclusion

For my conclusion, I created my own street art based on the three themes that I studied: hope, Afro-indigenous culture, and biodiversity.

Finally, I wanted to include some great murals that I saw but that did not quite make my list of the ones to talk about.

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