Graffiti, or street art, is everywhere in Rio de Janeiro. After many years of what has been described as an “uneasy” relationship between a highly acclaimed community of graffiti artists and the government of Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Eduardo Paes recently issued a decree making street art legal.
The popularity of graffiti has been growing in Brazil for decades and some of the country’s most talented artists have built an international reputation. They are making street art in cities around the world, and admirers of their work visit cities like Rio to view their art. Some artists even put their contact information in their art.
Private-Space Street Art Has Been Legal Since 2009
In 2009, the Brazilian government made street art legal on private property when it is done with the consent of the building’s owners. This progressive law formalized the existing relationship that property owners had with the artists.
By the time that the law was enacted, owners of residential and commercial buildings were already commissioning artwork by popular street artists. There were several reasons for this relationship that included the beautification of spaces but also to combat “tagging.” Tagging is when someone signs their name or places a logo on a space or on top of someone’s street art. It’s a distinction of aesthetics.
The new law in Rio legalizes street art on designated city property. Artists can now create their work on places such as columns, walls without doors or windows, skate parks, and construction siding. There are still places that are off limits, many of which have already been covered with graffiti-resistant paint.
All of the Artists Aren’t Happy
Not everyone is pleased with the new law, however. Some artists view it as an attempt to regulate the art and move it outside the tourist areas. For evidence of this intent, they point to the recent whitewashing of the walls of the Jockey Club, one of Rio’s most famous public graffiti locations.
Some artists are gearing up to test the boundaries of the law to preserve the “free-form” nature of their art. But other artists are pleased that the unique form of cultural expression is being valued and decriminalized. In 2013, Rio established an organization called #StreetArtRio to digitally catalog the city’s street art and preserve it in an online photo catalog.
Graffiti may always be a part of Rio’s urban landscape. Time will tell if this new arrangement between street artists and the government will support the art or stifle it.
