In the United States citizens often see graffiti as a nuisance, as something that takes away from the beauty of their city, but in Chile it seems to be more honored as art for the people of the people. Many people I have conversed with including my Chilean host family believe that any form of graffiti, both what seem to be “gang tags” and works about Chilean history are an important part of their daily lives. In my short time in Chile, I have become accustomed to seeing the graffiti all over every part of open wall space. I am from Washington DC where I often see graffiti on walls and billboards but the drawings are removed as soon as possible. I have always liked the art but thought that it was just for gang members to mark their territory. I can count on one hand how many of these displays have meant something to me and they are all on one space of wall in Brookland, North West, Washington DC. Not only were these three particular pieces hidden away in a tunnel that the DC metro goes through, the images were also dedicated solely to those who had passed away. Two were for Sean Taylor, a member of the Washington Redskins who was murdered in cold blood in 2003 in his home in Southern Florida. The entire DC metropolitan area was stricken with grief at this incident and these memorials have been solace to many fans. The other was created by a youth group. The message of it was hope. It was a message of hope for other youths in the harsher areas of the city to know that there is an alternative way of living. There are other options than joining a gang and peddling drugs. These pieces of graffiti to me are the only pieces I believed had any sort of meaning to any passers by.
When we first arrived in Valparaiso we visited an outdoor museum of graffiti that dates back to the 1990s. It is called “Museo Cielo Abierto” or “Open Sky Museum”. This museum is currently kept up by a university in Valparaiso and is considered to be a real attest to the history of the strife of the Chilean people. The museum itself is part of the neighborhood it is in. There are houses that are graffitied on and it seemed as though the occupants of the houses did not seem to mind the art. Even outside of that museum I see no attempts at covering up or erasing any graffiti throughout the streets. Sometimes the graffiti is very similar to the graffiti in Washington, but mostly it is a beautiful display of a different type of artwork. It is not just nonsense words and tags done by “gangbangers”, but often beautiful portraits of landscapes and people.
I do not know the meaning of every single piece done, but I do know that just as Picasso and Matisse had a specific intention behind every work they did, so do the artists of these works. These pieces of art take hours to procure and dedication to the message behind the work. I know a few graffiti artists back in Austin, and I can honestly say have never respected their work more in my life. Seeing graffiti as more than just a delinquent use of time is something that I would have never expected myself to come across. The art on the walls in Valparaiso reflect ever last set back any Chilean has come across. Every piece is a visual depiction of the immense tragedies all went through. To me, I see more power and courage in the graffiti in the open than pieces locked away in a museum for only a few to see. That is why the outdoor museum meant so much for me. When you visit a museum in a building you are purposely looking for some insight into the artists mind. This museum was so different. Anyone could stumble upon it without knowing what they were going to see and learn from something sprayed on a wall.