Southern Spain: Graffiti-Informal Street Art

Those of you who have visited the Tavern for a while may remember that I made a post on the graffiti that I found in France. Southern Spain was another source of informal art that I found to be quite good.

Why take photos of graffiti when there are magnificent examples of architecture, interesting people, beautiful landscapes, or delicious foods? I think that one of the reasons that graffiti intrigues me is that it appears to be a universal cultural phenomena. In almost any place that you visit, you will find graffiti in some form or another. At times it is gang symbols, marking territory. At times it will take the form of political or social commentary. In what ever form it appears, from a mere word to an elaborate technicolored scene, each piece of graffiti is a personal expression made by someone within a community. However, unlike personal expressions revered and placed in museums for future generations, graffiti is subject to the elements of weather and time. Photography is a way of capturing those personal expressions and perhaps preserving them for a bit longer.

I wanted to give you a fair sampling of different kinds of graffiti that I found in southern Spain. Most of the more than 50 that I shot were taken in Seville, a city very rich in this form of expression. Some of them quite serious and with a message: "Andalucia is NOT England" brings forth the resentment that some have towards attempts to Anglocize southern Spain. Some, like the "Respect for Old People" are a bit on the irreverent side. Then we have modern art, such as the one that I have titled "Robowash". Finally, there is Malaga's bull motif, celebrating an important cultural and historical element-bullfighting. To be honest, I had a difficult time selecting the examples to display here, there were so many and I appreciated them all for what they represented.

Thank you for visiting the Tavern, feel free to stop by again. I hope that you enjoyed your time here. If you'd care to leave a comment behind, they're always appreciated. In the meantime, may your travels be interesting and enjoyable.

Kerry