Gonzalo (not pictured), owner of an art gallery in Buenos Aires dedicated to graffiti artists and who has lived in New York, says that graffiti in Buenos Aires is quite different than in the United States. For one, the laws are not as strongly enforced in Buenos Aires and the amount of political graffiti is far greater.Graffiti in Buenos Aires is so prevalent that it blends into the cityscape. Jorgelina Echevarria (not pictured), a journalist from the city, thinks that the popularity of graffiti has risen substantially since the economic crisis in 2001.Stylo Graff, a store in the Belgrano neighborhood, sells approximately 2,500 cans of spray paint a month and also sells clothes designed by graffiti artists. In Buenos Aires, many graffiti artists use their talent to design anything from shoes to skateboards. These boxes, pictured here in a backroom at Stylo Graff, contains spray paint and spray can caps.An artist that goes by ‘Fisek’ fills in part of his mural on the wall of an abandoned warehouse in the Villa Crespo neighborhood. Fisek and his friends gather about once a week to paint different walls in the city, with the permission of the owners.Patrons are encouraged to look through graffiti notebooks on display at the Post Street Art Gallery in Palermo. The books were submitted by various graffiti artists and make up the gallery’s ‘Tapa Dura’ collection.Adolfo E. Soto admires the work of a graffiti artist. “Es buenisimo” said Soto of the mural. Many building owners commission artists to paint their walls, in the hopes of hampering illegal graffiti efforts which can be unsightly. Photo taken in the Recoleta neighborhood.In 2005, the Minister of Public Space in Buenos Aires, Lia Maria, enacted a new policy to clean up the parks, fountains and plazas of the city. Carlos Carabajal (pictured here) paints over graffiti in the Plaza del Congreso. The plaza was one of 43 plazas chosen by the city that needed the most attention.In this photo, some of these stencils depict political figures and others announce club parties. Stencil graffiti is much more popular in Buenos Aires than other large, South American cities such as Rio De Janeiro. The technique has become increasingly popular, especially with well-known artists such as Banksy. Photo taken in Palermo Viejo.
