Arte-Art / Spain

Documentary on Barcelona’s street art scene

By hola | Published October 16, 2013 | No Comments

“Graffiti is a life force in a city that says to every citizen, I’m alive, the city is alive.”

Photos courtesy SPAIN arts & culture. (c) All rights reserved

As recently as a decade ago, the Spanish Mediterranean city of Barcelona was known as the “Mecca of street art,” but ever since officials there passed a strict law against graffiti, things have slowly devolved. Police have stepped up enforcement, issuing exorbitant fines for unauthorized painting on public property.

To the government, graffiti is vandalism; but to the artists and their admirers worldwide, it is so much more.

“Graffiti is a life force in a city that says to every citizen, I’m alive, the city is alive. A city without graffiti is like a field without flowers.” Those words by U.C. Berkeley professor Greg Niemeyer serve as a sort of manifesto flashing across the screen shortly after the opening credits of the new documentary, “Las Calles Hablan.”

The 2012 film produced by Mapping Barcelona Public Art and the indie company, On-Ist Film, will have its U.S. premiere Wednesday night at the Spanish Embassy.

If you go, also check out the companion exhibition featuring works by the artists Balu, RICE, SM172, Vegan Bunnies, Konair, Bombing Art and Nineta, and photography by Marc Medina.

The 56-minute documentary in English, Castellano and Catalan with English subtitles showcases Barcelona’s unique street art and aims to educate viewers about its artists—their problems with Barcelona authorities, as well as what inspires them and what they are trying to achieve.

“Street art, for me, means freedom,” says the film’s co-producer Katrine Knauer.

“It is a direct reflection of the energy of a city and a conversation that occurs in the public sphere between an artist and his or her community. It embraces the need that we have to publicly express ourselves” in a place where it can have maximum impact, Knauer says. “Whether people see it or not, it’s meant for everyone.”

Graffiti and street art make the streets come with vibrant colors and artistic self-expression, she adds. Or as Gola, an artist interviewed in the film, puts it: “You can pretend not to hear it or you can face up to what it says.”

This documentary touches on every aspect of street art in Barcelona. The artists know the dangers that lurk each time they paint the city’s streets. Through street art, they express opinions about politics or just about themselves. And the city’s street art movement has grown way beyond a local scene, attracting artists from around the world, the film explains.

Knauer says she hopes the film will be help dispel misconceptions and help street art gain wider acceptance.

“The documentary could act as a catalyst for change,” she says. “Until now there hasn’t been a definitive film made in Barcelona which explores the history, motivation, politics, and the numerous characters involved in the street art scene.”

Screening and panel discussion: Wed., Oct. 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

-Camila DeChalus

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