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.

Getting to Ushuaia

My flight departs NYC on Friday, March 14th and arrives in Buenos Aires approximately 11 hours later.  After passing through customs I will hopefully be on my way to Ushuaia where I will spend the night before the ship departs on March 16th.

Arriving in Buenos Aires

The Airport(s)
There are actually 2 primary airports in Buenos Aires: Aeroparque Jorge Newbury (domestic) and Ministro Pistarini (international).  Thanks to my colleague, I knew ahead of time to be careful when booking my flights.  Flights from New York land at EZE, the international airport, and most of the connecting flights leave from AEP requiring the traveler to get from one airport to another.  While the travel time is listed as approximately 40 minutes, this time can double or even triple due to poor traffic and road conditions.  Additionally, customs can often take an hour or more depending on the line.  Suddenly a 3-4 hour layover is not enough time to make a connecting flight.  Fortunately both of my flights connect at the international airport so as long as the airline does not make changes (which is actually quite common) I should have no problem making my flight to Ushuaia.  Should the flight get delayed I still have over 24 hours to get myself to Ushuaia.


Seemingly short distance between the domestic and international airports; traffic can double or triple the travel time and put you at risk of missing your connecting flights.  I selected one of the few flights that connects at the same airport (EZE) but all I can do is hope there are no changes!

Customs and Bag Transfers
There is no visa requirement.  Instead you must register and prepay a tax, currently $160, and present the receipt in customs.  I've read that in addition to the dual airport problem, travelers also run into issues with their luggage not transferring between flights.  I think in many cases, the traveler is responsible for retrieving his/her own bags and insuring that they get on the connecting flight - add that time to what I listed above and you're probably pushing it with even a 4-5 hour layover.  For this reason I forced myself to pack efficiently so as to only have carry on items. 

I might have been a little less stressed about these potential issues if this were a normal trip, but the ship will depart March 16th regardless of my presence! Lastly I was also a bit more stressed given the recent stresses on the Argentinian financial system and stresses on the state-owned airline that has experienced strikes in the past.  I chose my flight because the price was over $1,000 less than the private carriers but if I end up having to book a last minute flight to Ushuaia because of any issues I'll probably wish I just paid the price upfront.  Hopefully everything goes as smoothly as possible!

Getting to Ushuaia
My connecting flight to Ushuaia is approximately 3.5 hours.  I think my total travel time including layover will be about 20 hours which sounds grueling, but I'll have plenty of time to rest and sleep on the ship as we make our way to the peninsula. 

 



Ushuaia is located at the souther tip of Argentina and is a common departure point for voyages to the Polar Circle.