South America

Warmi-Paint- Ecuador

We miss Toofly when she isn’t in NYC, but we love what she’s up to in her native Quito. You can find out about her current project here:

Just what exactly is Warmi Paint?

Warmi Paint is an all-women arts and culture festival that will launch this fall in Quito, Ecuador.

Graffiti-Ecuador. jpg

What is Warmi Paint’s mission?

Its mission is to celebrate and empower Latin American women street artists with a focus on graffiti, street art and murals.

What does the name Warmi mean or represent?

Warmi means “woman” in Quechua. It is the name of the people of the Central Andes of South America. It is also the name of their language. Women of all ages from this part of the world will create a new vision of themselves, nurture their communities and reflect a powerful message.

Ecuador-graffiti- Women

What can visitors expect?

Special guests and 20 women artists will paint collaborative murals, host workshops, and present their work to the Ecuadorian community. We will have graffiti films, slideshow presentations, panels, youth workshops, pop-up shops and a concert! People of all ages will benefit from this unique cross-cultural exchange and community-building experience.

Warmi-Paint Image

It sounds wonderful! Good luck with this!

Note: Your support will help artist/curator TOOFLY (NYC) and artist/curator HTM (Ecuador) realize their mission.  Find out how you can help fund the project here.

Photos courtesy of Toofly

{ 0 comments }

Inti

Outdoor Gallery NYC author Yoav Litvin recently returned from a five-month trip abroad, where he explored the street art in several key South American cities and towns. I had a chance to catch up with him last week:

Those of us following you on Instagram got a mere glimpse into your incredible adventures on the streets of South America. You visited Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Brazil. What spurred your interest in that region?

I was curious. I had seen amazing works from South America online, and while I exploring the streets of NYC, I had met a number of South American artists.

"Gonzalo Sánchez"

In what ways did your findings meet your expectations?

I expected to be blown away and inspired. And I was — beyond any expectations.

"Stinkfish" "APC crew"

What were some of the highlights of your trip?

There were so many!  Among them were: walking around the streets of Lima with Entes; coming unexpectedly upon an art festival in La Paz, Bolivia and being in São Paulo during its 3rd annual Graffiti Fine Art Biennial.

Entes-y-Pesimo-Lima-street-art

Decertor-street-art-Lima-Peru

Do any particular impressions stand out? 

The juxtaposition between Peru’s rich culture and history and its current street art particularly struck me. And navigating Bogota was what NYC was like for me in the early 80’s. I always had to keep my eyes open!

"Marcelo Mente"

Tarm1-street-art-rio-de-janeiro

What about some of the challenges along the way?

The biggest challenge — I would say — was the language. And living in the Vidigal favela in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro certainly was an experience.

Nove-graffiti-sao-paulo-brazil

Where do you think the street art scene in South America is going? Do you think it will continue to remain so authentic?

It is difficult to generalize as each city and town is unique. But I suspect that it will continue to thrive.

Apitatan-street-art-quito-ecuador

What’s next for you? 

This Wednesday evening, May 27, I will be speaking about my personal style as a street art and graffiti documentarian, along with the role — as I see it — of the street art photographer.  After sharing some of my experiences in photographing NYC street art and graffiti and publishing Outdoor Gallery NYC, I will speak about my recent trip abroad and present many images of street art that I photographed in Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Brazil. The event will take place 7:00 – 9:00pm at Nowhere Studios, 582 Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn.

EVENT FLYER

Note: All photographs © Yoav Litvin, 2015

1. Inti, Santiago, Chile 

2. Gonzalo Sánchez “Painters”, Valparaíso, Chile

3. Stinkfish and the APC Crew, Bogota, Colombia

4. Entes & Pésimo & 5. Decertor, Lima, Peru

6. Marcelo Ment & 7. Tarm1, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

8. Nove, São Paulo, Brazil 

9. Apitatan, Quito, Ecuador

{ 0 comments }