Our first visit to this seaside town was a disappointment as it is old, in dire need of reconstruction (UNESCO is trying but the money is going into peoples' pockets). We kept hearing about the 'art graffiti' that the city offers so we went back for a walking tour and we were amazed at the art.
Valparaíso’s local government supports and promotes the local street art culture, and many cafés, restaurants and bars are happy to have artists turn their plain walls into works of art. As a result, the city is covered in world-class street art, and there is almost a competition where artists will literally paint over another person's work in an effort to get recognized and it is 'ok' to do this. Here are some pictures:
This wall mural of a chinchinero captures an older tradition in Chile. A chinchinero is an urban street performer in Chile, usually a man or young boy, who plays a bass drum-type percussion instrument with long drumsticks strapped to his back.
Next, INTI is a renowned street artist and his paintings, he has become an ambassador of South American street art worldwide.
This one is part of 3 buildings (notice the roof on top of the painting and he did this suspended by a rope) and I include it just to show the intricacy of his work:
One piece of art that never gets painted over since it's creation in the early 2000's is this set of stairs in the form of piano keys:
We found the street art really fascinating:
Next up- down and around Cape Horn, South America
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