Cities with the Most Beautiful Graffiti: Art Without Boundaries – São Paulo, Brazil

The roots of graffiti lie in New York City, but these days, the most vibrant scene of this street art can be found in São Paulo, Brazil. Often described as the capital of graffiti, São Paulo is a bustling epicenter of artistic expression.

Graffiti art in Brazil, originating in the 1980s, was inspired by the hip-hop and punk scenes in New York City. The movement was primarily led by male artists from marginalized communities, serving as an act of rebellion against feelings of powerlessness and being overlooked. In 2006, a new law was passed banning large, flashy outdoor ads in response to the city’s visual pollution. This led to an abundance of bare walls, which muralists saw as an invitation to paint.

For more than a decade, the city’s administration and graffiti artists had a strained relationship. The city attempted to clean up graffiti, which included the destruction of some street art and murals. In 2017, the mayor of São Paulo attempted to paint over graffiti without permission from the department for historic and cultural preservation, causing a backlash from graffiti artists and muralists.

After that incident, the situation changed, and today, the São Paulo city administration is supportive of the mural movement. Since 2017, about $1.6 million has been invested in street art projects. The popularity of graffiti especially soared during the pandemic, providing artists with an outdoor outlet during a time when indoor cultural venues were closed. Many of the murals produced in the past year highlight the health crisis and the political division it has deepened in Brazil.

Graffiti can be appreciated in many locations throughout Sao Paulo, but the primary spot is Vila Madalena. This bohemian neighborhood is home to the city’s most renowned graffiti hub, Beco do Batman. This alley earned its nickname due to the inaugural mural painted there, which depicted the famous superhero, Batman. Just a short distance from Beco do Batman, you’ll find another vibrant alley known as Beco do Aprendiz. This locale was once a refuge for drug traffickers at the turn of the century, but it has since been revitalized thanks to the intervention of an NGO.

However, not all urban art in the streets of São Paulo is colorful graffiti. There is a style born as a message of protest during the time of the dictatorship called “pichação”. Its purpose is not aesthetic; it aims to leave a political message and denounce social inequality. These works look a little like hieroglyphics, and the artists compete to paint in the most inaccessible and high places. When in São Paulo, you will see lots of these tags dotted around the city.