Graffiti Artists in São Paulo Reclaim Their Art

São Paulo is one of the most respected hubs of graffiti in the world. The urban chaos, together with the marginalization of a large sector of the population, has transformed this art in a form of protest. Graffiti flourishes in every conceivable place of the city’s streets.

Choque Cultural art gallery in São Paulo is a gallery renowned for its street art exhibits, including graffiti. But in September the gallery was subject to an “intervention”: about 30 pixadores (graffiti artists) invaded the gallery with their paint buckets and brushes and in less than five minutes, painted graffiti over all walls and art pieces exposed. The attack was a demonstration against what they called the “domestication of street art” and was led by 24 year-old Rafael Augustaitiz, also known as Rafael Pixobomb. Ironically enough, Choque Cultural translates to “cultural shock”, since the gallery aims to change peoples’ vision about what is art, even though some say that cultural shock is not what is being exhibited in the gallery, but what these pixadores actually did.

This was not the only intervention conducted by Pixabomb and his group. In October, they invaded the art exhibit Bienal de São Paulo, one of the most respected exhibits in Latin America, and painted graffiti throughout the second floor which had been left empty. The group has also invaded the Centro Universitário Belas Artes, the fine arts school that the leader attended.

These acts conducted by Pixabomb and his group are generating a huge debate among artists and journalists. Some defend them by saying that Pixabomb is a symbol of the democratization of art, while others think that they go a bit too far.

[via Folha Online]

- Contributed by Mandalah