Street Art of Bogota: A Photo Essay
Posted on 13. Nov, 2011 by Steph in Destinations, Photos, South America
In many cities, ugly scribbles of graffiti are a sign of decay and neglect. This isn’t true in Bogota, where dozens of colorful “street artists” are repainting the city in creative ways:
The street artists of Bogota all have serious day jobs. They are college professors, graphic designers and authors. They don’t alway work under the cover of night- many have permission by the owners to use a building as their canvas. Some of their designs are political, some are funny and some are just beautiful:
Many of the graffiti artists in Bogota are well known for their distinct style and subject matter, such as Pez, who always paints big smiling bird-type creatures:
My favorite:
If you are in Bogota and want to learn more about the rich street art culture, I recommend the Bogota Graffiti Tour, which is in English and run on donations. It’s the best way to truly delve into the art which makes the city so pretty.
34 Responses to “Street Art of Bogota: A Photo Essay”
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Alexa Verink
13. Nov, 2011
These are all gorgeous! I especially love the 2nd picture – the colors are great. Do you have any idea who did the two images of the soldier? They look familiar.
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
It’s a popular print artist here in Bogota, I’m not sure if he copied the images from somewhere else though. They remind me of Banksy.
Alexa Verink
16. Nov, 2011
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking! Maybe there are some major Banksy fans in Bogota.
Audrey
13. Nov, 2011
These are amazing! I love how vibrant the colours are! This would certainly brighten up any neighbourhood. My favourite one is the second photo
Todd @ Visit50.com
13. Nov, 2011
I like the 2nd one too!
Sam
13. Nov, 2011
Great street art finds. I like your favourite too.
Alouise
13. Nov, 2011
Great photos. I always like street art, it seems to say a lot about the city and the people that live there.
Todd @ Visit50.com
13. Nov, 2011
love it! I love seeing how much street art varies so much all over the world.
Christine
13. Nov, 2011
OK, obsessed…pretty sure I would love Bogota!
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
I think you would definitely like it!
Nomadic Samuel
13. Nov, 2011
I thought I saw impressive graffiti when I was in SA but this takes the cake – very cool
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
I was going to wait and do a South America Graffiti post, but there was so much in Bogota it warranted it’s own!
Elizabeth
13. Nov, 2011
Beautiful pictures!
Alison
13. Nov, 2011
These images are gorgeous. I particularly like the second to last one. Sometimes street art can be almost hidden and you only notice it if you are searching for it or know where to look for it. But these would definitely be impossible to miss!
Emily
13. Nov, 2011
Stunning pics, Steph–they are so colorful! I love seeing street art when I travel. And I love that we have so much of it here in Austin!
Mica
14. Nov, 2011
I liked Bogota a lot and street art, especially like this, is always so interesting. The colors are bold and I also especially like the last one as well
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
It really brightens up an otherwise very urban space!
Naomi
14. Nov, 2011
This is absolutely gorgeous. I love to see street art that has a harmonious relationship with the community
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
Yeah, there’s something really feel-good about it.
Shtina
14. Nov, 2011
Great street art! Thanks for the post!
ehalvey
14. Nov, 2011
I’m a fan of the one with the tv for a head. Surrealism FTW.
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
Yeah, love the social commentary in there.
Emily in Chile
14. Nov, 2011
Gorgeous! Such great colors, thanks for sharing.
Amanda
14. Nov, 2011
Wow, awesome! The colors are so bright! I could stare at art like this all day.
Steph
15. Nov, 2011
Yeah it’s awesome to see it while walking around town.
Jamie
17. Nov, 2011
This is seriously awesome. I think I just added Bogota to my travel list
Alex
17. Nov, 2011
Wow! This is seriously an amazing ad campaign for Bogota! If I ever go I’m signing up for that tour the first day.
Steph
23. Nov, 2011
It was a long tour, but worth it to see all the art!
Stephen
21. Nov, 2011
Reason enough to visit Bogota. Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped the capital in my 4+ weeks in the country.
Steph
23. Nov, 2011
It seems like Bogota gets a bad rap with backpackers but I for one really enjoyed it!
Tom
23. Nov, 2011
WOW, these are amazing Steph! I adore street art, but there’s far too little (in fact I can’t recall any…) in my city here in South Korea!
I think I like the first one (love that hummingbird), and the one you posted by Pez with the grinning bird-fish (?) thing. The girl (maybe native Colombian? unsure) with the earrings is beautiful, too.
Steph
23. Nov, 2011
Bird-fish sounds about right. The girl doesn’t quite look native Colombian to me, I think probably african?
Micamyx|Senyorita
25. Nov, 2011
So nice!