Mural on Calle Berriozábal by young Welsh artist, Harry Hambley — aka, Ketnipz.
As we say in Mexico, Feliz día del amor y la amistad — Happy day of love and friendship!
Posts Tagged ‘street art’
Happy Valentine’s Day
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Día del Amor y la Amistad, Ketnipz, Mexico, mural, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, Valentine's Day, wall art on February 14, 2018| 2 Comments »
Exasperated!
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged garbage, graffiti, Jonkye Feral, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, trash bag, wall art on January 10, 2018| 6 Comments »
Unauthorized!
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, pintura no autorizada, street art, unauthorized painting, urban art, wall art on December 5, 2017| 1 Comment »
Walls of murals may be welcomed and encouraged in Tlacolula de Matamoros and Villa de Zaachila but, alas, such is not the case in the city of Oaxaca. Remember the image on my Surfin’ safari post in September?
Calle de Ignacio Allende at the corner of Tinoco y Palacios
And it wasn’t even finished — it is even more impressive now!
However, do you see the two sheets of paper defacing the mural?
Here we go again… Like Color and culture, unwelcome and Lapiztola’s incredibly moving mural on the side of Museo Belber Jimenez, the authorities have declared this wonderful piece of art did not have their permission and will, most probably, be painted over. Don’t they have more pressing problems to deal with? Hint: The multiple buildings “en mal estado” scattered throughout the Historic District that are in danger of collapsing onto pedestrians and drivers.
Who tells your story?
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Libraries, Travel & Tourism, tagged California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Public Library, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, Tlacolula de Matamoros, Tlacolulokos, urban art, Visualizing Language: Oaxaca in L.A. exhibition, wall art on November 30, 2017| 19 Comments »
Last week in Tlacolula, as friends and I were studying the “¡Solo Dios perdona!” mural by the Tlacolulokos collective, the storekeeper next door advised us that if we liked that one, we should check out another spectacular Tlacolulokos mural a few blocks away. So we did.
He was right — it was indeed stunning in SO many ways! We came face-to-face with three strong, proud, and beautiful Zapotec women of Tlacolula wearing their stories.
There was the traditional white blouse with its crocheted yolk, the black and white rebozo twisted into a head covering, and there were the prized gold and pearl earrings.
But, so too were the tattoos of iconic Catholic imagery of Virgen María and Jésus wearing his crown of thorns juxtaposed with pre-Conquest grecas of Mitla, a Spanish galleon, and the heart-dagger of betrayal. This is one powerful mural! And, the story doesn’t end here in Oaxaca.
It is estimated that 250,000 Zapotecs live in the greater Los Angeles area — “making it the largest concentration of Oaxacans outside of Oaxaca thus earning its unofficial title among Oaxacan in the United States as Oaxacalifornia.” (The Voice of Indigenous Resistance in Oaxacalifornia) Thus it was appropriate that Cosijoesa Cernas and Dario Canul of the Tlacolulokos collective were invited to create eight massive murals, “Visualizing Language: Oaxaca in L.A” for an exhibition at the Los Angeles Public Library. They hang “below murals by Dean Cornwell, whose depictions of California’s history, completed in 1933, ignore Native Californian cultures and ‘fail to recognize the suffering of native peoples during the European conquest, as well as their exclusion from society…'” (New Murals Celebrate the Culture of Oaxaca in L.A.)
The murals at the Downtown Central Library in Los Angeles will be on exhibit in the library’s rotunda until January 31, 2018.
Don’t cry for me
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, skeleton, street art, Tehuana, Virgen de Guadalupe, wall art on November 9, 2017| 10 Comments »
The transportation workers of the CTM (Confederación de Trabajadores de México) pretty much shut down main roads into and out of the city on Tuesday (just ask blogger buddy Chris) and Sección XXII of the teachers’ union yesterday blocked streets, today picketed government offices, and are now moving full force into the zócalo and surrounding streets.
Sigh, but don’t cry for Oaxaca. Ten thousand years of history, this valley and her people will survive. Listen and watch Lila Downs sing La Martiniana and remember its words…
Porque si lloras yo peno,
en cambio si tú me cantas, mi vida,
yo siempre vivo, yo nunca muero.
~~~
Because if you cry, I’ll be filled with sorrow
Instead, if you sing to me
I will live forever, I’ll never die.
Art of social conscience
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Ayotzinapa, corn, graphic arts, La Unión Revolucionaria de Trabajadores del Arte, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, URTARTE, wall art on October 16, 2017| 5 Comments »
URTARTE — La Unión Revolucionaria de Trabajadores del Arte (the Revolutionary Union of Art Workers). You have no doubt seen their work around the city of Oaxaca.
The black and white lines of resistance defending heritage corn from an invasion by the moneyed interests of el norte.
Demanding justice for the 43 student teachers from Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero — still disappeared after three years.
And yesterday I discovered this masterpiece…
Celebrating the creativity, hard work, and dignity of the women and men living in the villages of Oaxaca.
A reminder of the people whose roots run deep into the soil and who make Oaxaca such an exceptional place.
What can you do to help?
Posted in Environment, Geography, Science & Nature, Tragedy, Weather, tagged disasters, donations, earthquake, earthquake relief, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, relief efforts, Spanish vocabulary, stencil art, street art, wall art on September 28, 2017| 2 Comments »
In Oaxaca city, while nerves remain on edge, life is going on as usual with only a few signs of the recent earthquakes: Buildings years ago labeled “inmueble en mal estado” (property in a bad state) now sport yellow caution tape, as does Templo De La Virgen De Las Nieves, which has a huge crack along one of the bell towers. And, on my block, a plywood retaining wall has been erected to contain a wall that collapsed back in 2012.
Those atrapada (trapped) by the September 7th and September 19th earthquakes have mostly been rescued, though réplicas (aftershocks) continue daily, especially in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region — still in the 4 to 4.5 on the Richter Scale (though not felt in Oaxaca city). Damnificados (victims) and escombros (debris) are all that remain in the hardest hit areas but tens of thousands of people are being forced to live in the streets. To add insult to injury, they must cope with torrential downpours and flooding from this very long and destructive rainy season.
Fundraising events are being held and centros de acopio (collection centers) have been set up to gather donations, with countless volunteers traversing damaged and dangerous mountain roads to deliver supplies. The need is massive!
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Como Ayudar – A large international list of information and links regarding assistance and distribution of goods to help those affected by the most recent earthquakes in Mexico.
How To Help The Earthquake Victims In Mexico City, Morelos, Puebla & Oaxaca – List of organizations collecting monetary donations, compiled by Mexico City based food writer, Nicholas Gilman
In addition, a couple of friends have asked me to publicize small organizations they are working with:
Help to San Mateo del Mar, Oaxaca, Earthquake Victims – Norma Schaefer, of Oaxaca Cultural Navigator, is getting the word out on the earthquake relief efforts of cultural anthropologist Denise Lechner and medical doctor Anja Widman.
SER Mixe – An indigenous organization serving the Mixe people in the Mixe region of Oaxaca; recommended by Margaret Macsems, general manager of Khadi Oaxaca.
*** Words in red type have become hardwired in my brain — new Spanish vocabulary I wish I didn’t have to learn under these circumstances.
Ayotzinapa, 3 years, no answers
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Protests, Tragedy, Violence, tagged Ayotzinapa, disappeared, Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos, Espacio Zapata, graphic arts, Guerrero, Iguala, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, stencil art, street art, student teachers, wall art on September 26, 2017| 8 Comments »
I can’t believe it has been three years since 43 student teachers went missing one night in Iguala, Guerrero. And, I can’t believe the key questions remain.
Who is responsible? What happened that night? Where are they? Why are there still no answers? How can 43 human beings be disappeared so completely? When will the truth be revealed?
In the midst of our current tragedies, let us not forget the 43 normalistas from Escuela Normal Rural Raúl Isidro Burgos, Ayotzinapa, Guerrero.
Three years without answers must seem like an eternity to their families….
Surfin’ safari
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Environment, Geography, Science & Nature, Travel & Tourism, tagged cars, earthquake, Earthquake Track, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, wall art on September 24, 2017| 2 Comments »
Here in Oaxaca we continue surfing the temblors and tormentas…
Calle de Ignacio Allende at the corner of Tinoco y Palacios
Torrential downpours and flooding have returned. Aftershocks from the September 7 earthquake continue. But, aside from difficulty navigating the flooding and potholes, suffering from frayed nerves, and being worried sick about friends and family in the critically affected areas of central and southern Mexico, we are okay in the city and surrounding villages.
Re geography: Oaxaca is the name of both a state and its capital city. The epicenter of the September 7th earthquake in Oaxaca was in the southeast part of the state — as the crow flies, it is almost 150 miles and through the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range from Oaxaca city. To see where Oaxaca’s earthquakes are happening, check out Earthquake Track.
Swimming upstream
Posted in Archaeology, Creativity, Culture, Environment, Travel & Tourism, tagged flooding, graffiti, Mexico, Monte Albán, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, rain, street art, wall art, weather on September 5, 2017| 10 Comments »
Oaxaca continues to be inundated with rain. I’m in Colorado now (inhaling smoke from fires throughout the west), but friends in Oaxaca are describing flooding, leaking roofs, water coming through windows and doors, and rain without end. Today’s news is reporting more than 13 communities are incommunicado and that urban development is a major cause of flooding by the Atoyac River that runs through the valley of Oaxaca.
Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from the builders of Monte Albán, where the Pre-Hispanic drainage works better than current systems.
Muertos murals in Zaachila
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged calacas, Day of the Dead, Día de Muertos, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, skeletons, street art, Villa de Zaachila, wall art on June 27, 2017| 20 Comments »
One of the great things about having friends come to visit, is going places and doing things not on the usual agenda. Thus, last week, while accompanying my friend B on a private tour of sights outside Oaxaca city, the guide asked if we knew about the Muertos murals in Villa de Zaachila and would we like to see them. Absolutely, we said!
In late October, prior to Día de Muertos, young artists are invited to paint Day of the Dead related murals on the walls of Calle Coquiza, the street that connects the church, Santa María Natividad, to the municipal cemetery. Customs, beliefs, and legends provide the inspiration, as well as day-to-day activities.
Flor de Piña dancers welcome residents and visitors to step through the doorway to the land beyond.
Where electric meters serve as faces.
And, telephone poles add a third dimension to the design.
Painted pitchers and candles nestle in vegetation escaping from under a portón.
And, a dancer frolics in sand waiting to be mixed into concrete for construction next door.
Skeletons use an electric meter to get a leg up in climbing the conduit.
Trees provide shade, as Pan de Muertos is baked in an outdoor oven.
Leaves flutter above, as Bu’pu del Valle (chocolate atole) is frothed with a molinillo before being served in traditional hand-painted jicaras.
Flowers tumble over the wall to adorn a catrina portrait’s hat.
The murals along the walls of Calle Coquiza remain throughout the year — until replaced by the next Día de Muertos artists’ offerings. In addition, during Day of the Dead, this Calzada de los Muertos (Road of the Dead) is paved with sand paintings. It is definitely going on my Muertos “must see” itinerary.
Walls are watching
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, stencils, street art, wall art on June 13, 2017| 4 Comments »
Walking along the sidewalks of Oaxaca…
I get the feeling I’m being watched… by Oaxaca’s revolutionary street art.
Riding to the rescue?
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, political commentary, popular travel destinations, stencils, street art, wall art on May 29, 2017| 2 Comments »
We live in perilous times…
The signs are everywhere…
This guy can’t be the only one riding to the rescue.
We all must do our part.
Bus doesn’t stop here
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Signs, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, tagged Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, poster art, posters, street art, street signs on May 27, 2017| Leave a Comment »
Sorry folks, the bus doesn’t stop here. Why? You ask. Doesn’t red mean “stop”? Not here. Not now. There is DANGER; this edifice is in a bad state!
And, make sure to produce, disseminate, and teach about the dangers of buildings in hazardous states of disrepair. As Mother Nature has reminded us twice within the past week, this is earthquake country.
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This work by spixl is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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View From Casita Colibrí 
Never a dull wall
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged calaca, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, political commentary, popular travel destinations, skeletons, stencils, street art, wall art on August 1, 2017| 2 Comments »
Whether just passing by…
Or, stopping to study…
Even black and white stencils add color commentary to the walls of Oaxaca.
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