Opposite Santo Domingo, a bolero (shoeshiner) walks up Macedonio Alcalá to work…
As the faces on the wall cry out, “Because we people of Oaxaca have memory and dignity, we demand justice” for the missing Ayotzinapa 43 normalistas (student teachers).
Posts Tagged ‘urban art’
Going to work
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Protests, Tragedy, Travel & Tourism, Violence, tagged Ayotzinapa, Black and white photography, bolero, disappeared, Mexico, normalistas, Oaxaca, photos, protest stencil art, shoeshiner, stencils, street art, student teachers, Subterráneos Art Collective, urban art, wall art on October 7, 2021| 4 Comments »
Why???
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, tagged defaced mural, graffiti, Mexico, mural, murals, Oaxaca, photos, public art, street art, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art on October 2, 2021| 13 Comments »
Sometime last night, the recently inaugurated mural by the Tlacolulokos was defaced. And we are left asking, why?
The message, purportedly by anarchists (given the presence of their symbol) is calling the artists “Oaxaca indigenous traitors.” Due to their collaboration on the mural with the Canadian government??? I don’t know. But what I do know is that I am sad and angry at this attack on the right of artists to create without censorship or intimidation.
Update: The mural has been repaired. However, click HERE for a communiqué regarding why it was defaced.
Collaborative mural inaugurated
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, Canada, Dario Canul (artist), Encuentros indígenas: Canada-Oaxaca 2021, indigenous artists, Mexico, murals, Nuestro sol se ha ido (mural), Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, Rolande Souliere (artist), street art, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art on September 21, 2021| 9 Comments »
Under the shade of the 361 year old Coquito de la Iglesia de Jalatlaco tree, onlookers (and bloggers like yours truly), dignitaries, media, and the artists of the Tlacolulokos collective gathered for the inauguration of the previously mentioned new mural in Jalatlaco.
The mural, “Nuestro sol se ha ido” (Our sun has gone) is a collaboration between Rolande Souliere of the “Anishinaabe” people in Canada and the Zapotec Tlacolulokos urban art collective from Oaxaca’s central valley.
The mural’s inauguration was live streamed on Facebook on the Secretaría de las Culturas y Artes de Oaxaca page.
Unfortunately, Rolande Souliere could not travel to Oaxaca. However she described some of the symbolism of the mural: “We decided to portray the mythological beings of the Canadian thunderbird and the Zapotec deity of the Cosijo throne, these fantastic beings are responsible for the thunder and rain that the world experiences and that come together thanks to the clouds…. symbolic imageries such as Zapotec patterns, the route of thunder and the four directions of the first nations represented by the colors red, black, yellow and white… important signifiers in both communities since they represent the continuation of indigenous culture in contemporary society.”
Dario Canul, representative of the Tlacolulokos colective further explained, “The mural, ‘Our sun has gone,’ is a representation of celebration, life, rain, thunder, and tears that all indigenous peoples have shed over time.”
The inauguration launched the 2-1/2 week long Encuentros indígenas: Canadá-Oaxaca 2021 (Indigenous encounters: Canada-Oaxaca 2021) — a series of activities in Oaxaca city and surrounding villages — that runs from September 20 to October 8, 2021.
In remarks by Graeme C. Clark, the Canadian Ambassador, at the inaugural event and reports from this article, the collaboration seems to be an expression of the mea culpa by the Canadian government with regard to their historic treatment of the first peoples of the territory that is now called Canada. Better late than never. The indigenous peoples of the USA are still waiting.
Tlacolulokos at work
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged artists at work, Barrio de Jalatlaco, Mexico, mural painting, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, Tlacolulokos, urban art, wall art, work in progress on September 17, 2021| 5 Comments »
Today, I decided to change up what has become my Friday shopping routine. Instead of walking north to the fruit and veggie vendor, I headed south to explore the Friday tianguis — relocated from Llano Park a couple of years ago and now residing near the Polideportivo.
And, what an excellent decision it was! Only blocks from home, I came across a massive mural in progress on Calle de la Noche Triste at the corner of Calle Ignacio Aldama.
With scaffolding and tools of the trade in place, men were at work.
The style looked familiar, so I stopped to ask, and discovered they were the Tlacolulokos – my favorite artist collective from Tlacolula de Matamoros!
I think the guy I spoke to was a bit taken aback to find that this gringa was quite familiar with their work — including the murals for the Downtown Central Library in Los Angeles, California. Stay tuned…
A face, a meaning, a history
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, faces, Lord Acton quote, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, Octavio Paz quote, photos, street art, urban art, wall art on August 30, 2021| 8 Comments »
In the first chapter of The Labyrinth of Solitude, Octavio Paz reflects on the face of an old man… “features are seen as a face, and later as a mask, a meaning, a history.”
And John Dalberg-Acton wrote, “History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul.”
Filling the hearts
Posted in Creativity, Environment, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged artists, artists taking action, Barrio de Jalatlaco, climate action, environmentalism, hearts, iconic imagery, Llano Park, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, plastic recycling, popular travel destinations, recycling, recycling hearts, saving the planet, taking action, urban art on August 3, 2021| 6 Comments »
Recycling in Oaxaca continues — slowly but surely. But, honestly, who can resist filling these hearts around Parque El Llano/Paseo Juarez?
Here in Jalatlaco, we are not asked to separate our trash, but I think I will begin taking my plastic agua mineral (mineral water) bottles down to this heart next to the Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco.
This is a program, begun in 2019, by the city’s Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, a governmental agency charged with strengthening and developing the welfare of the Mexican families.
Few of my favorite things
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Flora, Health, Restaurants, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco Restaurante, coronavirus fallout, COVID-19 fallout, electricity meters, murals, Oaxaca, pandemic precautions, photos, popular travel destinations, restaurants, stencils, street art, urban art, water lilies on July 30, 2021| 14 Comments »
Unsurprisingly, on Monday Oaxaca went back to Covid-19 Semáforo Naranja (orange traffic light) — meaning there is a high risk of contagion of the virus. On Wednesday, it was reported there were 479 new COVID-19 patients, the highest figure of the year.
Unfortunately, having had to run a few errands over the past few days, I haven’t seen any changes in people’s behavior, business/government/museum closings, nor enforcement of the mask wearing mandate — only an announcement by the archbishop that churches would be limited to 25% capacity.
It is demoralizing and infuriating and all I can do is continue to wear a cubreboca (face mask) whenever I’m out and about, practice social distancing, and try to stay sane. As for the latter, I’m choosing to concentrate on and appreciate my favorite things.
We are all tired. However, unless people take this extremely seriously, get vaccinated, and continue to mask up and practice social distancing, “normal” will not return and our fellow humans (including loved ones) will needlessly continue to suffer and die. As a current meme suggests, let us all practice humility, kindness, and community.
My new neighborhood
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged Barrio de Jalatlaco, Mexico, neighborhood sign, Oaxaca, photos, urban art on June 23, 2021| 23 Comments »
I read the walls today…
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Gorrilla Visual, graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, parent and child, photos, stencil art, street art, urban art, wall art on June 2, 2021| 4 Comments »
It feels so good to be back in this walkable city where simple errands offer the opportunity for exercising one’s body and mind.
Connections are made and internationalism lives.
Reading the walls of Oaxaca is like reading the news.
Here and there walls of art
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged #hereandthere, Black history, Black Lives Matter, California, Mexico, Mill Valley, murals, Oaxaca, photos, San Francisco, street art, urban art, wall art, Wesley Cabral on May 13, 2021| 4 Comments »
In Oaxaca, murals, stencils, and other forms of street art are ubiquitous — and often with cultural and political themes.
The same is true for San Francisco and her neighboring cities of Oakland and San Jose — primarily thanks to significant populations of color and the cultural expressions they bring.
However, in my white-bread hometown of Mill Valley, it’s only in the past several years that murals have begun popping up and they have seldom addressed social and political issues — until now.
In response to the killing of George Floyd and a controversy in the town regarding the tone-deaf attitude toward the Black Lives Matter movement and its own issues of racial discrimination and profiling, artist Wesley Cabral painted these two murals which now adorn a prominent wall in downtown Mill Valley.
Fluttering in the wind
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Cuaresma decorations, cut paper, decorations, Jardín Sócrates, Jorge Prado (artist), Mexico, Oaxaca, papel picado, photos, popular travel destinations, shadows, stencil, urban art, wall art on March 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Looking up never ceases to make me smile, especially when papel picado (cut paper) garlands flutter in the breeze — images with holiday themes, celebrating rites of passage, and advertising local products.
They are even imprinted on walls.
We are in the midst of Cuaresma (Lent), though pandemic restrictions have canceled most public celebrations, we have the Liturgical colors of violet and white papel picado to remind us.
Even the neverías of Jardín Sócrates have gotten into the act.
Art creating an environment of inclusion
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Neighborhoods, Travel & Tourism, tagged "No Discriminación e Inclusión" mural, Barrio de Jalatlaco, Conquistando Corazones, gender equality, Mexico, Movimiento Vecinal, murals, Muxes, Oaxaca, photos, political movements, popular travel destinations, social change, street art, transgender, urban art, wall art on February 22, 2021| 8 Comments »
Returning from an errand in the Jalatlaco neighborhood, I was stopped in my tracks by this massive mural on Calzada de la República. It is titled, “No Discriminación e Inclusión” (No Discrimination and Inclusion), and was unveiled in October 2020 as part of the Movimiento Vecinal — a program created by the Sistema Estatal de Seguridad Pública de Oaxaca (State Public Security System of Oaxaca) to involve youth, through cultural, athletic, community, and educational activities, in the recovery, appropriation and rescue of public spaces. Importantly, a collaboration has also been established with the civil association Conquistando Corazones to eradicate violence towards the community of sexual diversity.
(Unfortunately, trees and other foliage prevented a clear photo of the entire mural and so I offer you the full mural in six parts — moving from left to right facing the mural.)
According to José Manuel Vera, Executive Secretary of Sistema Estatal de Seguridad Pública de Oaxaca, “We work to achieve equality and dignity for people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and we continue to create spaces for youth that represent freedom of action and thought. In a just and egalitarian society, everyone has the right to their individuality, to be who they are, to do so in peace, without fear of rejection, hatred or violence, but rather enriched by diversity” (my translation).
Days of love and friendship
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged ARCH (artist), Día del Amor y la Amistad, Efedefroy, hearts, indigenous languages, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, stencil art, street art, urban art, Valentine decorations, Valentine's Day, wall art on February 13, 2021| Leave a Comment »
February 14th isn’t just a day for lovers. In Mexico, Valentine’s Day is known as the Día del Amor y la Amistad — Day of Love and Friendship.
Decorations have gone up and I have no doubt kilos of chocolate, bouquets of flowers, and heart shaped balloons with confessions of amor will be purchased.
Unfortunately, with the virus continuing to rapidly spread and Oaxaca still under semáforo naranja/orange traffic light (though many think it should be rojo/red), I’m not sure restaurants will or should be filled to capacity with friends, sweethearts, and families.
Given the trauma and uncertainty the world has experienced over the past year, I hope we have learned to cherish our friends and family and to let them know how much they mean to us every day. Let us celebrate days of love and friendship and not just limit it to one day a year.
And, if you would like to say I love you (te amo) in 7 of the 69 indigenous languages spoken in Mexico — including several spoken in the state of Oaxaca — click HERE.
Bringing the light
Posted in Casita Colibrí, Creativity, Culture, Flora, Travel & Tourism, tagged Amanda Gorman (poet), container plant, Crown of Thorns, garden, inauguration poem, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, Primavera amarilla, street art, The Hill We Climb (poem), trees, urban art, wall art on January 21, 2021| 14 Comments »
Four years ago today, we were marching in the streets of Oaxaca — part of a worldwide post inauguration day response to the dark days we could see coming following the results of the US election. Alas, it was far worse than our imaginations could take us. What a difference four years makes! At yesterday’s inauguration we watched as a young woman in a dazzling yellow coat, with her brilliant words and luminous spirit, captured the dark and replaced it with trust in our power to bring light to an imperfect country. Thank you Amanda Gorman for your inspiring words and presence.
When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never ending shade?
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us…
For there was always light.
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
Quotations from The Hill We Climb, a poem written and read by Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamela Harris.
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Mighty women of Oaxaca’s walls
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Politics, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Día Internacional de la Mujer, International Women's Day, Mexico, Oaxaca, political commentary, stencil art, street art, urban art, wall art, women's faces, women's rights on March 7, 2021| Leave a Comment »
March 8 is International Women’s Day. In the words of a recent article by Nancy Rosenstock, a woman I knew back in the day, “In these challenging times, all women — from those of us who were involved in second-wave feminism to those just entering the struggle — need to come together as equal fighters and chart a course forward.”
We may have come a long way, but the struggle for equal rights, respect, freedom from violence, and control of our own bodies continues and the women of the walls of Oaxaca are not silent.
Many of the images also carry a written messages. Below, Nuestros sueños no caben en sus urnas / Our dreams do not fit in their ballot boxes carries an indictment against the capitalist political parties.
The next one lets the symbols of the ancestors speak.
From a women’s graphic campaign that seeks to express “what our bodies go through every day and what we are seeking when we scream: Vivas Nos Queremos / We Want Ourselves Alive.”
And, a promise that women will not be silenced and will march forward Sin miedo / Without fear.
Then there is the mural, La Patria / The Homeland, which adorns the wall of a school in Barrio de Jalatlaco. La Patria, originally a painting by Jorge González Camarena of an indigenous woman surrounded by patriotic imagery, graced the covers of textbooks from the 1960s into the 1970s.
To honor and celebrate International Women’s Day, on March 8, La Mano Magica Gallery/Galería inaugurates an exhibit of women artists, Exposición de Arte Colectiva Mujeres Artistas, curated by Mary Jane Gagnier, at their gallery in Oaxaca and online on their Facebook page.
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