Lelo in Sao Paulo

Lelo from Rio de Janeiro claims to have been apart of the street art scene since 1998. Recently, he’s been getting up a bit around Brazil and Argentina. Here are a few flicks from those recent excursions.

Lelo in Rio de Janeiro

Lelo in Buenos Aires

Lelo and Elliot Tupac in Buenos Aires

Photos by Lelo

Nick Alive appears to be fairly skilled with a can. Nick Alive appears to be fairly skilled at making friends; friends with striking artistic ability. The result of all this is a mad display of the talent in São Paulo, Brazil. Fortunately for me, the documentation of Nick’s numerous collaborative pieces have networked much of this skilled community.

Nick Alive and Shock

Nick Alive and Graphis

Nick Alive and Peko

Nick Alive, Shock Maravilha, and Nem in Sao Paulo

Photos by Nick Alive

Like Mundano’s characters, Cranio’s impish — mostly blue — Indians seem to surface unexpectedly throughout São Paulo. Here are a few we encountered:

w/Ethos, photo by Sara Mozeson, August 2010

photo by Lois Stavsky, July 2011

photo by Sara Mozeson, July 2011

photo by Lois Stavsky, July 2011

Often exuding a playful social consciousness, Mundano’s delightful quasi-monsters surface randomly throughout the city. I discovered them in quite a few unlikely places. Here are a few:

I continue to be floored by São Paulo’s range and volume of stylish bombs and throw-ups. The most prolific bombers seem to be Os Gemeos, Finok and Vlok.  

Os Gemeos, one of many variations

Vlok, Os Gemeos and more

Finok

Vlok, Os Gemeos, Finok & more

While in São Paulo and now while reviewing my photos, I’m struck by the incredible array of faces that surface on the walls of this amazing city.  They range from the dream-like poetic to the weirdly surreal. Here’s a sampling:

Ranging from the playful to the mournful, the cast of characters gracing the walls of  São Paulo always intrigues. Here’s a sampling:

Onesto, photo by Lois Stavsky

Ricardo AKN, photo by Lois Stavsky

Ethos, photo by Sara Mozeson

Sinhá, photo by Lois Stavsky

Nove, photo by Lois Stavsky

Magrella, photo by Lois Stavsky

Here are some more images from São Paulo’s amazing ever-evolving open-air gallery in Vila Madalena:

photos by Lois Stavsky; artists to be identified

Located in the Vila Madalena district of São Paulo, Beco do Batman is a narrow alleyway that’s evolved into an open-air gallery. I discovered it last summer on my first visit to Sao Paulo. When I returned earlier this month, I revisited some of my favorite pieces, but many new ones had surfaced. Here’s a sampling:

Photos by Sara Mozeson; artwork by various artists to be identified

São Paulo’s Choque Cultural represents some of my favorite artists — whose work I don’t get to see often enough. Among them are Titi Freak and Daniel Melim.  Here are some Titi Freak pieces I discovered on my recent visit to their space in Pinheiros:

Titi Freak @ Choque Cultural, photo by Lois Stavsky

Titi Freak @ Choque Cultural, photo by Lois Stavsky

Titi Freak @ Choque Cultural, photo by Lois Stavsky

Early Titi Freak @ Choque Cultural. photo by Lois Stavsky

Although I had to return to NYC before the opening of Daniel Melim’s solo exhibit, I did get to see some of his earlier pieces:

Daniel Melim @ Choque Cultural, photo by Lois Stavsky

Daniel Melim @ Choque Cultural, photo by Lois Stavsky

Daniel Melim @ Choque Cultural, photo by Sara Mozeson

An exhibit of Daniel Melim’s newest body of work opens this afternoon and continues through August 26 :