This is a guest post by been Brice Peressini, the Trading Voyageur.
I went to Valparaiso specifically to see the world class street art that the city is famous for. I had heard that the city was a treasure trove of world class street art, and it did not disappoint! The city’s stunning backdrop, which has been compared to San Fransisco, is a perfect setting for the world’s finest street artists to frame their work.
I didn’t want to miss out on any of the great pieces, so I asked Al Ramirez of Valpo Street Art Tours to show me around. Al is the resident expert on street art in Valpo. He’s a personal friend of many of the artists, and has helped set up international festivals to bring in talent from around the world to Valpo.
Above is a picture of Al. Al grew up in New York City, but moved back to Chile six years ago. He is 100% fluent in English and Spanish, and was a fantastic source of info and insight into the street art scene in Valpo.
The above piece was created by La Robot de Madera. The woman was painted by Saile, who has a very distinctive style, with his trademark angular eyes.
This is another piece by by La Robot de Madera. In graffiti circles, a crew is a group of artists who frequently paint together. It can also include other factions of hip-hop culture, including DJs and b-boys.
A piece by Stinkfish
The above piece is a perfect example of everything that is right in the Valpo street art scene. It’s a piece by one of my favourite artists in the world, Stinkfish of Bogota, Colombia. To top off the fantastic colours and artwork, the background of idyllic Valpo frames it better than the world’s best mahogany.
A new twist on a classic Van Gogh piece by local artist Teo
The above piece is by an artist called Teo Doro. He took a couple classic Van Gogh pieces, and inserted a portrait of Van Gogh in the sunflower field. It’s painted on the side of a hostel in Cerro Alegre in Valparaiso’s tourist centre. In my opinion, that hostel should be worth a whole lot more with that piece of artwork on its side.
I’ve visited many of the world’s street art hotspots, and Valpo deserves its place in the top rankings of the world’s street art scene. The steet art in Valpo is amazingly colourful, with great homegrown artists, and a sprinkling of some of the world’s top street artists, all against a stunningly beautiful backdrop.
On your trip to Chile, make sure to drop by Valparaiso to see for yourself this spectacular open air museum of street art. Make sure to contact Al to be shown around to the best pieces, with expert insight along the way.
If you think these pictures are amazing feel free to peruse the street art gallery and visit the top 5 page for more things to do in Chile and around the world.
Love the colour and spirit of fun it brings in!
WoW! You’re not kidding – these are incredible.
nice photos. I was just there last October and was lucky enough to be there for a street art festival so saw some of them made live, was really cool…. I missed some of these you have here though. Thanks for sharing.
These are gorgeous.
Hi there,
I am opening a South American restaurant in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada.
I have been in search for the perfect art to display at my restaurant and I absolutely LOVE these pictures. I think they would be perfect!
Could you please put me in contact with the photographer?
Thank you!
Storm head over to http://tradingvoyageur.com his name is Brice. I just asked him if its okay to give you his email 🙂
Hola, soy cicloturista, he viajado a Chile, recorriendo Valparaíso y sus alrrededores, muy lindo y pintoresco. En mi proximo viaje quiero hir hasta Constitución, por la cuenca de mataquito.