Paint the Town: Urban artists boost Bogotá’s street appeal

In Colombia’s buzzing capital, urban art is booming. Thanks to Bogotá’s tolerant laws and businesses that often commission works, accomplished artists, both local and global, have converged on the city, transforming its calles into bold open-air galleries that lend insight into the country’s aesthetic and soul.

“There are a host of potent issues that inspire graffiti and street art here,” says the artist Crisp, an Australian native who relocated to Bogotá in 2009 and who serves as one of the scene’s unofficial ambassadors. Consider, he says, Colombia’s long-running civil conflict and recent peace process, the war on drugs, and “so much natural beauty found in the country’s jungles, mountains, and coasts.” What’s more, he notes, the movement represents art in its most democratic form: “It’s a free space of expression, communication, and interpretation.”

Visitors to the city who want to explore its exhibits have myriad options. In fact, “it’s almost impossible to find a street in Bogotá without some form of urban art,” Crisp says. But a good place to start is with an art walk he helped launch in the creative La Candelaria district – your travel advisor can arrange the tour as part of a customized Colombia trip. Above are a few highlights found along a path where one modern masterwork follows the next.