Buenos Aires Street Art: politics, Antarctic exploration, yarn bombing and Batman?

I only spent one night in Buenos Aires but made the most of my short time there.  I'm looking forward to going back to explore the city but for now I'll write a couple posts on how I spent my time there.

Behind the street art of Buenos Aires I was awestruck by the number of murals on walls and inside parks throughout Palermo. Apparently we only saw the tip of the iceberg (pun intended) and there are hundreds more murals to see in other areas; each with a deeper meaning than the next. I shouldn't have been surprised given my background in Latin American politics and literature; there is a deep connection between the history of such countries and the artistic and literary works of past and present. Remember the great political murals by Goya and the like? Buenos Aires has its own unique history and artistic representation. There are so many articles and slide shows on the murals throughout Buenos Aires so I'm not sure which and how many to share. In the meantime, I'll post a series of murals that I saw on the walls surrounding a park and a few of my other favorites spotted during my brief time in BA.  BBC published a few lines and a slideshow that was right to the point. I also found an entire site dedicated to Buenos Aires Street Art.  As I do more research I'll add to the descriptions below and will include the mural names, artist(s), and hopefully some interesting historical info.

My favorite mural:

"The Creation of Batman" by Mario Calvo & Pato Kozow.  See BA Street Art's article on this mural for more info and additional photos.

Below are a series of photos showing the murals surrounding a park near the apartment.  I've included as much background information as I could find for now.

A mural that shows the Plaza Alferez Jose Maria Sobral in Buenos Aires

The Plaza was named after Jose Maria Sobral.  Sobral was born in Argentina and is known as the father of Argentine Antarctica.  I had no idea when I took the photo above that I was capturing a piece of history related to Antarctic exploration! His expedition group landed at Snow Hill Island on the Eastern part of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Map for reference showing where the Swedish Antarctic Expedition first landed with Sobral in relation to Neko Harbor where we visited.

Photo of a mural showing the Galileo Galilei Planetarium in Buenos Aires.

Mural showing the Puente de la Mujer in Buenos Aires.  The landmark's name is appropriate given that many streets in the surrounding area are named after women.  It is a pedestrian bridge that allows vessels to pass in less than 2 minutes- the engineering is unique in that it has a forward-angled cantilever.

This mural shows the national library designed in part (for about the third time) by Clorindo Testa.  The full quote reads: "No se trata de hacer ventanas sino de perforar muros" and is a quote from Testa.  It makes much more sense in Spanish but the best English translation is roughly telling that it's not so much about making windows as it is drilling through walls.  

Testa was famous for his contributions to the 'brutalist movement' in Argentina.  I love the history behind this library since one of its past directors happens to be one of my literary heroes: Jorge Luis Borges.  A little known fact about me is that my second major in college was Spanish & Portuguese Language & Literature (!) and I have a very passionate relationship to the literary figures of both Spain & Latin America.  Many of the central themes found in the literature I studied are also paralleled in the historical art and in the more recent street art of BA.  If you're at all interested in how history relates tot he art and literature of Latin America you might want to check out some of the stories and books by my favorites like Borges and Clemente.

Photo of a mural by Dario Parvis who is most typically known for recreating variations of works by Dali.

Mural "Cafetin Porteno" by Magdalena Okecki 

In addition to murals, we spotted several "Yarn Bombings" in BA.  What is that, you ask? It's kind of like a really cool version of your grandma crocheted a cozies for tree trunks!  An artist name Licia Santuz was reportedly the city's first yarn bomber.  I recently read that this phenomenon started in the US - I haven't seen any here yet, but I'll probably have to head out to Brooklyn to see one. (Just kidding! Sort of.)  Actually, it appears that I missed a major yarn bombing of the Wall Street Bull in 2010.

A red, white & blue "Yarn Bombing" in Palermo, Buenos Aires.