One of my favorite things in exploring new cities and towns is stumbling upon street art and murals. I'm impressed by the scale (and the skill and talent to pull it off), often vibrant colors, interesting imagery, and that it's a mechanism to reflect both historical and contemporary events, or offer some social commentary. Another bonus is that some of the highest concentrations of street art tend to be located in neighborhoods that could use a bit of brightening up and might otherwise be ignored by tourists. My recent trip through cities in central Mexico provided a wonderful array of street art to captivate my artistic senses and take me off the beaten path.
Unsurprisingly, there's no shortage of art and murals with Frida Kahlo's image throughout Mexico. I was particularly drawn to this large and colorful one in the Juárez district of Mexico City.
I can't resist admiring and photographing murals that feature animals, such as the feathered subjects of this work of art in Oaxaca. Someone has a lot to say, and he's not happy about it.
This finely-dressed desert rabbit was just outside a food hall popular with locals in Mexico City.
I can't quite formulate a storyline for the creature below. Is it being consumed by tapeworms? Is it sitting in a pot of multi-colored pastas? Chances are that it's something far more deep and meaningful than I can formulate as a quick-paced passerby.
The image of the Xolo below doesn't quite capture its natural context, but it measures in the neighborhood of 10 x 15 feet.
It's easy to encounter Xolo dogs around town. The first dog did not live up to their reputation for being calm, but perhaps he didn't like that his human had just finished slathering sunscreen on his naked body. The second dog was quite calm and was the valedictorian of his Brewery Pup Manners class.
In Oaxaca, I encountered this large mural celebrating women, including one wearing a face mask. I think of how bizarre a mural with a facemask-donning person would have seemed a mere four years ago, but now it captures a snapshot of the pandemic (2022), which will undoubtedly stay in our collective memory for years to come.
The message on mural below says, "I choose not to add "dis" to my ABILITY."
Below are a couple of social commentary pieces seen in Mexico City aimed at our screen-filled existence these days.
Sometimes the walls housing the art add character or interest to the piece, such as the exposed adobe and rock of the building below.
The old and peeling paint on this wall provides a beautiful and texturized backdrop to the colorful artwork.
The art on this pedestrian corner adds vibrant color and a botanical scene in an otherwise cement-centric hillside of Guanajuato.
Finally, Día de Muertos and its requisite marigold flowers feature prominently in street art in Oaxaca. It's a nice way to keep the festivities and significance of the season up year-round for everyone to enjoy.
James you are truly both a gifted photographer and a gifted poet.
James you are truly both a gifted photographer and a gifted poet.