WHILE much of Latin America’s creative beauty is found in its indigenous and colonial works from centuries ago, urban art in the South is omnipresent and eye-catching.
Whether it’s sculptures on the Uruguayan waterfront, rejuvenated facades in Chilean laneways or contemporary business designs in downtown Argentina, a daily dose of imagination is just around the corner.
Common sources of inspiration for urban art can be found in the music that flows through the continent, the waters lapping at the coastlines and the native Indian connection to the plants and animals.
But as could be expected from a populous of such immense pride and sentiment, the struggles of past generations are a constant reference.
Emancipation from European rule and the push for workers’ rights are both connoted and denoted in equal measure.
The Spanish passion for surrealism has also permeated the cultural sphere, and South American urban art is distinctly mind-expanding and abstract.
Fear not being left in a cultural backwater when you trip to South America.
In fact the opposite is true.
Many of the 21st Century’s pioneering artists are sure to come from the tropics, where an appreciation of life’s soulful facets is deemed admirable and the heart of an artisan is encouraged.
