These are all on various planters along Septima.
24NOV12. Bogota, Colombia. iPOD Touch, Instagram Lo-Fi Aspect.
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART: PURPLE, PINK, & BLUE DjLu
Tag: Septima
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART: DjLu STENCILS IN RED
Instead of taking my normal route into work today, I decided to walk down Septima towards the Plaza de Bolivar and I’m glad I did. I discovered new DjLu stencils on planter boxes! Check some out below:
23NOV12. Septima. La Candelaria. Bogota, Colombia. iPOD Touch, Instagram Lo-Fi Aspect
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART: BANKER TROOPER & CORPORATE VADER by CRiSP
My three months are almost up in Bogota, and I’ve been looking for this CRISP mural for almost two of them. I finally had to get the address from the artist himself. I love it aesthetically because I love Storm Troopers, but more to the heart of it, it’s a really cool mural depicting treacherous world banks, war mongers, the power-hungry, wealthy elite, and their corrosive invasion upon the ‘99%.’ Look at how the characters literally tower over the city skyline. It really gives the sense that breaking into the ‘1%’ is virtually impossible for the everyman and everywoman. And the characters aren’t looking down, taking notice of the population they are meant to represent fairly with respect. Instead, they go about their business way above the ‘disenfranchised’ lives below.
Mural by Crisp. Septima y Calle 134.
17NOV12. Bogota, Colombia. Canon 550D, Canon Lens EF 18-135mm.
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART: “ONE EYE”
On Septima y Calle 134. Artist(s) Unknown.
17NOV12. Bogota,Colombia. Canon 550D, Canon Lens EF 18-135mm)
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART & GRAFFITI: TOXICOMANO, LESIVO, & DjLu
The above mural by Toxicomano LOOKS like Simon Bolivar to me. And the symbolic “eye” with the “Now I can see!”
Lesivo and Toxicomano
Toxicomano
All murals on or near Septima towards the North.
11NOV12. Bogota, Colombia. iPOD Touch, Instagram Lo-Fi Aspect.
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART & GRAFFITI: WALL POLITIKS
I swear I’ve learnt more about Bogota and Colombian politics from street art than in any other way. Yesterday, while walking the streets looking for new art, I came upon, for the first time, some new political stencils that provoked me to come home and find out more about them.
This was on the outside wall of a cafe off of Calle 26. It just caught my eye, I don’t know why. I “think” it’s Piedad Cordoba, a very controversial political figure in Colombia. Apparently she is a former Liberal Senator of Colombia. She was stripped of her seat in Congress on two separate occasions and she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize! She’s been accused of and has supposedly admitted to, being a supporter (and possibly a guerilla member) of FARC, a Marxist-Leninist group known for its drug trafficking. And it looks like there’s support for her to make a comeback! Go Piedad!
I “think” this is Gustavo Petro, the current mayor of Bogota. He is also a controversial figure and has publicly criticized the FARC guerilla group. He and his family have received death threats from a variety of government-run security organizations. Most of the groups deny any involvement. Obviously, someone who doesn’t support him, added the “gay” slur.
Another one on the same day. This one was off of Septima around Calle 15 maybe…
1NOV12. Bogota, Colombia. iPOD Touch, Instagram Lo-Fi Aspect
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA: “WEEK OF INDIGNATION” ~ PROTESTS
I had no idea when I walked out of my flat yesterday that I would be walking into a protest, the size I’d never seen before. While I’m at Colombian protests, I never really realize fully what’s going on. I try to piece together the pictures and words that are on their marching banners, but still I’m left wondering what exactly it’s all about. So I take as many pictures as I can (I wasn’t prepared with the Canon, so had my handy iPOD Touch with me) and then I go home and wait for a newsfeed to come up in English.
Turns out yesterday’s protest in Bogota was one of many throughout the country and one of many that will take place all week. Hence, the moniker: “Week of Indignation.” I wish I could articulate what these protests do for me, as I can’t really understand them as they’re taking place, yet, the spirit around them, the feeling that these people are free to voice their opinions, and that the police for the most part, are prepared for them and help them (again, for the most part) march in an organized fashion, obeying traffic lights, etc. In Bogota, they aim for peaceful protests, and they are allowed to really say how they feel. So, even though I don’t understand their words to the fullest, I do understand the feeling of free human spirits bonding for causes greater than themselves. It’s so inspiring.
Needless to say, the protesters are not fans of President Santos.
Protesters on Septima crossing Calle 19 on their way to Simon Bolivar Plaza.
Judicial employees have been fighting for pay raises for most of this year. Due to all of the protestations, there’s a massive backlog of cases that are not being seen in the courts.
And these people are protesting against budget cuts to “SENA,” the government trades school.
This was a really inspirational moment. One of the final groups to make their way to the Plaza, started jumping up and down and chanting and then they made a break for it, running and chanting all the way…
All Pictures: 30OCT12. Bogota, Colombia. (iPOD Touch, Instagram Lo-Fi, Early Bird, and Sutra Aspects)
BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA STREET ART: ‘A CRISP(Y) CLARIFICATION’
Message from Crisp in response to my questions about the above murals: “Yeah, the Obama with Kogi and Amazon Indian is mine, whereas the President Santos and Amazon child on the other side is a friend of mine from the UK. His street name is MIKO, short for “Mi Kolombia”. His side depicts Santos in indigenous clothes while the child is wearing the Colombian presidential sash. He wrote “we are all mixed” between the 2 figures.
My side is actually a statement that, not everyone benefits from the recent free trade agreement signed between the USA and Colombia. We recently repaired this wall as it was defaced pretty quickly due to the directness of the mural. It used to have “TLC:Nadia Gana” written on it, but this and all the faces and money were erased with black paint. Seemed very specific and probably done by government people rather than other grafiteros. So when I repaired it, I toned it down a bit.
The “L” is added by someone else. It’s always risky doing graffiti about politics and heads of state as it’s at high risk of being defaced by people who don’t agree or don’t understand the statement. The MIKO wall has been defaced quite a bit due to depicting Santos. Still, that’s all part of street art, it’s not protected and people can add, alter, adjust, deface, or completely destroy at their own will.” – Crisp
I also notice that APC has written on Santos’ head. Did the REAL APC tag it, or was it done by an impostor? This is all so intriguing…7OCT12. Chapinero, Septima, Bogotá, Colombia.