STREET ART IN MEXICO

Murals and street art have a long history in Mexico City. It started in the 1920s. Artists painted the outside of buildings with large pictures, or murals. These days, Mexico’s street art is getting a makeover.

In 2013, artists and graphic designers formed a group called “Street Art Chilango”. They paint the outsides of buildings. Their aim is to make their city look beautiful. They paint things such as Star Wars movie characters and other fun images. Building owners, city leaders, and people of Mexico City love the large works of art. Artists are getting paid to create them.

Then they share their work on social media like Facebook and Instagram. The group has gotten more than 165,000 “likes” on Facebook. It has 72,000 followers on Instagram. It has another 9,000 followers on Twitter. The group also has a web site. People think that their work looks perfect.

In April 2013, Jenaro launched the hashtag “#streetartchilango” so that anyone using Instagram could upload photographs. People can also show the locations of the street art on the site’s interactive Google map.

There is also a Google map for the group. It shows where the murals can be found. People can also sign up for walking tours to see the murals. Tours are held on Fridays and Saturdays. They last for three hours. People pay about 12 U.S. dollars to join the tour. The group walks through the streets. They look at works of art. At the end of the tour, people get to meet an artist.

Many artists in the group are becoming famous. This is new for them. Most have never had their art framed or put in a museum. Andrik Noble is a member of the group too. He says “I don’t have an art studio. Everything is in the street.”