During my case study I got the opportunity to meet a graffiti artist, a pixador, and a skateboarder. All three had very interesting stories and motives for the art. The graffiti artist was a female, Carol, who goes by the street name “skinny”. She likes to represent the war between men and women. She sticks to painting mainly women and she has artwork throughout the city. Bruno, a pixador, goes by “Locuras”. He originally started as a pixador and now he makes documentaries about pixacao. Daniel went professional in skateboarding five years ago and is working with the city to increase access to skateboarding in the city. They all love doing what they do because they are able to express themselves freely throughout the city. Each person is able to explore new parts of Sao Paulo that they would not have been able to if it was not for their skills. Also, these three forms of expressions encounter a lot of restrictions from society.
Graffiti has become more acceptable throughout the years. Graffiti artist are getting approval from city hall to paint murals on public space. When they want to paint a wall, they have to ask the owner for permission. Other than that, graffiti artists are limited to where they can express what they want to say. Carol started at a young age and learned about social injustices through the artwork she would come across in Sao Paulo. She also got involved in a community of other graffiti artist and expanded her network. As a women she felt she has less to worry about with policing and can get away when doing a piece without any permission.
On the other hand, pixacao has not been so acceptable by society. Pixacao has been identified as unpleasing and criminal related. Pixacao can be found all over the city. Especially high up in buildings, where others can see how high somebody got put their tag. Pixacao is done more for recognition. Pixadores are generally people from the periphery and they come into the city and claim empty walls. Bruno showed me one of his tags he did on the side of a high building near downtown. He is not from Sao Paulo, but he prefers to come and tag places in the center of the city because then his work is visible to a larger range of people. He gets more recognition. Pixadores bring the messages of the periphery into the city and reclaim spaces where they are not welcomed. The police harass them frequently and pixadores put their life on the line when climbing high up. Regardless of the consequences, pixacao has taken over the streets of Sao Paulo and the messages people mark are there for a reason. Pixacao is a movement that is pushing for equality and justice and this form of art is informing the inside of the city that they also exist.
Skateboarding is popular for the youths of Sao Paulo. Skateboarders overtake a public space and use it as their skating ground. I got to meet with Daniel at a skatepark that is in a central location of the city, plaza Roosevelt. This plaza was originally for people and skateboarders began using the space. Residents nearby were unhappy with the amount of skateboarders in the plaza. Skateboarders do not have many places where they can skate freely around the city. A common problem is that they are loud and disrupt the community. These people just want to skateboard in the city, they use places and objects that are hardly used and they have fun with the space. Plaza Roosevelt installed a semi skatepark near the street about four years ago to satisfy the needs of skateboarders. Daniel enjoys skating at new places and meeting new people. People come from all over to skateboard and it is what makes them feel free in the city.
Graffiti, pixacao, and skateboarding do have similarities, but they are each different. Each of these groups want to express themselves and the art behind what they enjoy. Whether they do it legally or illegally, they want to be visible in the city. They do not want restrictions from what they love to do and want the city to be open for such uses and much more. Neither are going to disappear and even though the city does not fully approve of the practices, spaces in the city will be taken over and the people will continue to express themselves.