“In Salvador, Bahia, can be found the Galeria de
Adesivos (Stickers Gallery), the first physical and permanent stickers gallery
in Brazil and Latin America. The idea is to spread out this international
culture and the Brazilian street art scene. Invited by the fine artist Andrea
May, urban artists/crews from many parts of the country had their work pasted in
the gallery, which is part of the cultural space Sao Rock (Rio Vermelho
Shopping).

The street art represents a strong form of contemporary
artistic expression. Each day new engaged artists get together in projects
related to urban intervention, believing that the art on the streets can reshape
the city daily and intervene in a positive and participative way in people’s
lives.

The street artist becomes a kind of graphic designer of urban
environment. May: “The urbe is a big, diversified screen, a great mix of
information. Therefore, there, it is the contemporary elements which join the
art, whatever it is: poster art, stencil, stickers, graffiti…”

Yet,
there are people who regard street art as one more item of visual pollution, but
there are also those who see in these anonymous “city planners” a new way of
communication, as they open spaces to a non institutionalized, democratic and
accessible art. The fashion label Ellus, for instance, has just got the work
from the graphic artist from Sao Paulo Calma to be integrated to its new
collection through panels and t-shirts.

“Behind all this culture we
have concepts, phylosofies, references. But will take time until urban art be
understood and received as a form of artistic expression.”, says 86, graphic and
urban artist of Rio de Janeiro and member of the exhibition.

The
street art shows independent solutions to make art in great urban conglomerates
unblocking practices of museums and traditional art galleries. It is important
to mention that this artistic movement, even regarded as an underground one,
seeks at having bases through textual references to be integrated much easier to
the society instead of being regarded as a vandalism act.

“The
metropolis with street art becomes much more alive, because art is life. The
only problem is in people’s head, in the way they see art: perhaps an outdoor or
a political spray tag on the walls are not as aggressive as a ‘true art’ because
we are already born with this idea which is imposed by the society. But I don’t
believe that it’ll be like this forever… That’s why I do art on the street”,
says Kurru, from Sao Paulo.”

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