Concrete=Canvas took to the streets of Buenos Aires ten days ago for their first international street art project. With the aim of creating art in public spaces while involving the community, guardian angels were painted in various locations around the city where homeless people stay, bringing with them a sense of colour and security.
Born in the art scene of Chicago, the organisation is run by Callie Humphrey, 23. Originally from Los Angeles, having spent five years studying arts management and working as an exhibition organiser after graduating in Chicago, the cold winters drove her further afield. Arriving in Buenos Aires a few months ago, without much knowledge of the local art scene, she has been amazed by the opportunities that exist in the city. Describing her current situation, Callie says, “I got here and I was just blown away by how open the street art scene is and by the really talented murals. I mean its not street art in your typical sense, like graffiti, they are really talented artists out here, and they can take time because its more or less legal, and it is generally accepted. I knew that it was a big city for street art, but I didn’t understand how accessible it really was and how the vibe is here – something that I’ve now discovered!”
“In cities like London, New York, Paris or Los Angeles, the art scene is already formed. To try and penetrate it in an alternative way, like everyone is doing down here, is just not feasible. It can happen, but it certainly is not the norm and it is not as accessible. I don’t want to say that those cities are too civilised, because this city is pretty civilised as well, but back home it is a different vibe, it is too structured,” explains Callie. “In Chicago, where it really is just buildings and concrete, and thinking of all these other metropolitan cities that are the same, I wanted to get away from that and utilise the space to showcase local artists and to bring art to people who don’t really have access. With all the private galleries, I mean, the whole white cube scene, you can only do so much.”
This is the basis of ‘Concrete = Canvas’ – bringing art out into the open. “The whole idea of the organisation is to open up the artistic process and to make it available to people who don’t necessarily have insight to it. I think that art is super powerful at creating dialogue and inspiring people”, enthuses Callie. This weekend, local and foreign artists joined up with people who had no experience of street painting, making stencils of angels out of large plastic sheets. Then they divided into four groups and spread out across the city, in the neighbourhoods of Palermo, San Telmo, Villa Crespo and Constitucion. “We basically went around the city and bombed stencils of guardian angels around places where a lot of the homeless population sleep . A part of that was offering food while leaving a symbol of protection,” explains Callie, who was based in Plaza de Mayo during a large part of the operation, handing out stencils, paint, food and maps to people who just came up and wanted to join in.
This is the basis of ‘Concrete = Canvas’ – bringing art out into the open. “The whole idea of the organisation is to open up the artistic process and to make it available to people who don’t necessarily have insight to it. I think that art is super powerful at creating dialogue and inspiring people”, enthuses Callie. This weekend, local and foreign artists joined up with people who had no experience of street painting, making stencils of angels out of large plastic sheets. Then they divided into four groups and spread out across the city, in the neighbourhoods of Palermo, San Telmo, Villa Crespo and Constitucion. “We basically went around the city and bombed stencils of guardian angels around places where a lot of the homeless population sleep . A part of that was offering food while leaving a symbol of protection,” explains Callie, who was based in Plaza de Mayo during a large part of the operation, handing out stencils, paint, food and maps to people who just came up and wanted to join in.
Callie reckons that up to a hundred angels were painted, although she is waiting for people to hand the maps back in, which have all the locations marked on them. The important part of the event was that everyone enjoyed themselves while sharing the art process with the community, which is exactly what happened, according to the painters who took part. Considering whether the images will remain or not, Callie says, “I think that some of the angels will stay, but some of them will be painted over, because that is just the nature of the city and part of the beauty of painting in the streets. It is ever evolving and changing. You have no idea what is going to be there tomorrow. A lot of the guys and girls here paint up in Villa Crespo, around a big bus station, where there are these really big walls and it is a generally accepted area to paint. Part of the deal is that you recycle the walls – your piece is only going to be up there for so long, which is part of the game.”
Street art in Buenos Aires is widespread, with murals appearing all over the place. There are a number of collectives and groups who organise sessions and bring art to the community. “It was in response to society and the economy being in total upheaval during the economic crash. People started saying that they did not want to keep seeing all this political graffiti, that they wanted to make people smile instead, because it was just miserable. From there, all these incredible artists emerged, who just kept painting. Nobody was complaining that there was now artwork on the street, because everybody was sharing each others misery,” says Callie, who has immersed herself in the network of artists since arriving.
Street art in Buenos Aires is widespread, with murals appearing all over the place. There are a number of collectives and groups who organise sessions and bring art to the community. “It was in response to society and the economy being in total upheaval during the economic crash. People started saying that they did not want to keep seeing all this political graffiti, that they wanted to make people smile instead, because it was just miserable. From there, all these incredible artists emerged, who just kept painting. Nobody was complaining that there was now artwork on the street, because everybody was sharing each others misery,” says Callie, who has immersed herself in the network of artists since arriving.
Fundraising has ensured that there is enough money available to carry out another few projects in the next couple of months, before Callie returns to the US to register the organisation and take advantage of the grants which will be available. She is keen to return to Buenos Aires but also dreams of taking ‘Concrete = Canvas’ to Sao Paulo, where there is also a thriving art scene, and then on to Eastern Europe, where there is a burgeoning underground scene. While planning on how to develop from here, Callie does not consider the previous project as finished, stating, “the weather is still good, I’ve still got the stencils, I have the paints – there is no reason the angels need to be stopped.”
