Explore Bogotá for Outstanding Street Art

This post has turned out to be a much larger Bogota street art gallery than I had expected, despite the fact that I have only included pieces from outside Candelaria, the old part of Colombia’s Capital. I will leave this more popular historic centre for a second street art gallery from Bogotá.

You can find outstanding street art all over Bogotá, Colombia’s capital. This gallery concentrates on murals we explored outside of the city centre.

The street art scene in Colombia is very alive and diverse. Street art has been de-criminalised in Colombia and Bogotá, in particular, attracts a quite a lot of international street artists, who leave their mark on the city’s walls.

The reason I am concentrating on murals outside the tourist part of the city is simple: I want to encourage you to venture out and keep your eyes open! To give you an orientation, I have included specific locations in each street art photo description.

But you will be forgiven if you cannot find each and every piece shown in this gallery. First of all, some pieces won’t be around indefinitely, as they are on walls surrounding sites destined for new construction work.

Other murals will have deteriorated and lost their appeal, so street artists might simply paint over them. In the very short time we spent in Bogota, we witnessed five new pieces in the making and one being completely repainted – and we didn’t even go out that frequently!

The bright colours of this new piece on Avenida Medellin (south side, somewhere between Carrera 86 and 72) caught our attention the day we arrived in Bogotá. Here it’s still very unfinished, but a week later we came past it again.

Please click thumbnails below for a larger photo with description.

It’s a shame that we never got to see the fully completed picture!

Please click thumbnails below for a larger photo with description.

But that’s all part of the fun when you go out to explore a city for its street art! It’s an ever evolving scene, with new outstanding murals popping up in the most unexpected locations.

A little Spanish knowledge might help you to understand the messages included in many murals. Often they refer back to Colombia’s violent past or the current state of government. The more you know about the country’s politics the better you will understand the messages told through street art.

Please click thumbnails below for a larger photo with description.

Eye-catching street art as advertising for a photography and fashion school. Three storeys high, where Calle 32 joins with Carrera 7.

This street art piece commemorates Luis Alejandro Concha (please google), a victim of police brutality. It won’t be around for much longer as this block on the corner of Calle 19 and Carrera 5 is being developed.

I believe this piece is somewhere on Carrera 19 – it’s a protest against animal testing and medical science.

A colourful graffiti on Calle 24 near Carrera 10.

This piece by “Stinkfish”, an internationally recognised Colombian street artist, is on Carrera 7 (probably near Calle 40).

On the corner of Calle 31 with Carrera 7

A shop front, I believe on Carrera 7: we make peace for them (the children).

I love the message of this stencil art mural on Calle 31. It was done by the German street artist Super8.

A colourful underpass somewhere on the outskirts of Bogota’s north.

Corner Calle 45 with Carrera 25: the west section of this long mural wall around a college.

Corner Calle 45 with Carrera 25: another part of a long mural wall around a college, this one depicting a sea turtle.

Corner Calle 45 with Carrera 25: another part of a long mural wall around a college, this one depicting polar bears and penguins.

Corner Calle 45 with Carrera 25: the east corner of this long mural wall around a college.

Corner Calle 45 with Carrera 25: the far end of the eastern mural wall around a college.

Corner Calle 45 with Carrera 25: part of eastern mural wall around a college. Dense trees make it impossible to photograph the full wall.

One place to visit for street art is Avenida 26, the main road towards the airport. Be cautious in some places – it’s not the most salubrious part of Bogota.

The left most part of a large street art collaboration along Calle 26.

The middle section of the same large street art collaboration along Calle 26 – protesting against environmental damage done for short-term profits.

The far right of the same street art collaboration along Calle 26.

This mural along Calle 26 symbolises that people of different race and heritage form one nation of Colombia.

Also on the wall of the Cemeterio Alemán: a map showing locations of street art murals in this part of town.

The left side of the wall surrounding the Cemeterio Alemán on Calle 26.

On the wall of the Cemeterio Alemán on Calle 26: a classic Renault 4. It’s an iconic vehicle in Colombia, but this mural is in memory of a painting tour 3 street artists made around the country.

4,150,000 victims, forcibly displaced by the violent terrorist activities in Colombia – a mural in their memory on Calle 26.

It was difficult to photograph this assembly of street art walls on Calle 26.

Also on Calle 26: “Si embra sano y cosecha tus ideas” ~ “Stay healthy and harvest your ideas”

Another new piece of street art on Avenida 26, which wasn’t quite finished when we were staying in Bogotá:

To the north of Av.26 is the suburb of Armenia, where we rented an apartment. It’s an old suburb, slightly run down, but considered safe.

The eyes of a native boy in black and white, corner of Avenida Caracas with Calle 30. This block will be redeveloped very soon.

This is a new graffiti tag we discovered around the corner from our rented apartment in Calle 29 with Carrera 16A. I love the subtle stencil background.

This long mural is in Carrera 17, just around the corner with the north side of Calle 26. On weekdays the gate is always open as it is a storage yard for vehicles. To get this shot you have to come at lunchtime or on Sundays.

The left section of the mural on Carrera 17. There’s a boy riding the the fantasy bird; he’s holding the end of the string, which the woman unwinds.

The right part of the street art mural on Carrera 17

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