Graffiti and street art are cyclical in many ways – reflective of society, urban planning, politics, current events, demographics… Currently the city of Barcelona is pushing hard on cleansing itself of the wild graffiti and street art that brought it so many tourists 15 years ago.
With the pendulum of real estate development and gentrification swinging from aesthetic chaos to antiseptic order, street artists are changing tactics as well, opting for smaller pieces that are quickly and surreptitiously installed.
“The Raval / Ciutat Vella neighborhood used to have 4 or 5 ‘orchards,’” says photographer Lluis Olive-Bulbena, using a slang term to describe empty areas between blocks where freelance painters like to adorn abandoned walls. “Nowadays there are only one or two.”
We’re pleased to introduce a number of artists specializing in smaller works; artists with names like BL2A, Karma, and Radical Playground. Each has their own style and each are part of a new wave using a smaller canvas, sometimes ingeniously; the sticker, the stencil, paste-ups, even ceramic – on the streets of Barcelona.
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Artist Talks About His New 4 Panels Across from Woodward Gallery Today we're checking in with artist NohJColey, whose work we've featured many times and who continues to surprise viewers on the stree...
It's that time of the year again! BSA has been publishing our "Hot Lists" and best-of collections for more than 10 years every December. In this year that has been so heavy and difficult for many...
"Hooray! Hooray! The first of May. Outdoor f***ing begins today!" - Or at least that's what we learned in school. Brooklyn's hawthorn trees and lilacs are in bloom, as are the cherry trees in the...
Happy Holidays! We’re celebrating the end of one year and the beginning of the next by thanking BSA readers, friends, and family for all of your support in 2022. We have selected some of our favo...
Brooklyn’s always breaking records – and today it can boast having the first mural collaboration between a Street Artist and a blind artist. Rubin415 and John Bramblitt have just combined their two un...