[Excerpt] Santiago Street Art Gets a Book

Art speaks, and street art often speaks really loud, as is the case of politically active artists like Banksy, SpY, and the cadre of spray painters and installation artists that put their art directly in the public eye. The city of Santiago, Chile is bursting with active street artists and the conversation that comes with them. Lord K2, an established London street artist himself, has taken it upon himself to catalog the art and ideas coming out of the city in a new book called Street Art Santiago, hitting shelves on June 28. "The purpose of this book is to document the artworks of highly talented Chilean artists as well as giving them a voice," Lord K2 tells The Creators Project. "They have a lot to convey, the walls are one dimension, the book is another. "

Schiffer Publishing shared an excerpt of the book with The Creators Project. It's an interview, just one of 80 spreads throughout Santiago Street Art, in which creative duo Estanpintando tackles the controversial issue of corporate money sponsoring the community's work.

“In regards to graffiti, we are happy using cans, but we love brushes. We like painting on the street, as it calls upon pictorial concepts, just like the work of Santiago Salvador or Yaikel. We find this friendlier and more intimate. We like to see the paint and feel it. The aesthetic of pure graffiti, with the use of shine, seems like a print, like a plastic effect. This has to do with the technique. We respect graffiti, but we see it as something different from what we do. For example, whoever wants to tag can do it, but in a place where no one else has painted. At the military school, we discovered a pillar that was scribbled entirely with pure shit. For what purpose? If there was an entire team working for a month, making something beautiful so that people can enjoy a place that previously looked like a dump, why are you tagging on it? I think it has to do with respect. I am all for everyone doing what they want, but without stepping on anyone’s toes. I still think it’s strange that graffiti artists have a signature that they want to draw all over Santiago and that they think the more tags that you generate the more respect you will achieve. For me, respect is about being great, being an amazing illustrator, to create a spectacular drawing that will leave your audience speechless. If you want to work with typography, make big letters with pretty colors, so that it gets people’s attention. But to scribble just for the fun of it? I don’t see any meaning to tags."

“Despite the evolution of graffiti in Santiago throughout many years, we feel that our work is different than the majority that already exists, as ours doesn’t address a specific political theme or social protest. We seek a transversal discussion that will be enjoyed by different people of varying origins. Many brands have come to us in search of an alliance that will allow them to reach people through art. Obtaining governmental support here is very difficult, therefore a great way to get money for big projects is through sponsorship. We have learned to rid ourselves of the local stigma on forming an alliance with a brand. There is a difference between the thinking of graffiti artists and us; the graffiti artist will never join forces with a brand. I think that mindset is medieval. Furthermore, the brand gives you the liberty to do whatever you want. Someone told me, “That’s money laundering,” and it may be, but people will keep laundering money and evading taxes, and if it’s done through art to favour the city, I don’t care, because I am being financed for an incredible project. We don’t just do projects with brands. Often, we have been catalogued as the Benetton girls or the Home Center girls, but we also work on social projects even if we have sometimes left those to the side. It’s our job and we need to pay rent and for food. We are both doing this. We are 100 percent independent, and we are proud to be living off art. Don’t come here pointing at us telling us what we have to do. Everyone makes their own decisions. It is idealistic to think that one will live as an artist and that people will always buy your work directly. It doesn’t always work like that, because it is difficult to sell work. If a brand comes by and wants to work with you and give you money for it, why not?

“If we had to give new painters a message, we would tell them to do what they love, whatever that is, but always respecting the older artists and the people who work with different concepts. One is never the owner of truth. You must know that you are starting from the bottom. You must look around and admire others for their work and effort. We are not in agreement with the outlook of, ‘Here I am, this is my truth.’ There is a little bit of everything, and everyone thinks differently. As long as you do something that makes you happy, you will not fail. This is a moment when creativity is gaining courage, so the key is to be sure about your ideas and be confident in what you are doing, persevere on the road that you are following to obtain your objective. You must be constant, because this line of work can give you really good months and months in which you won’t have anything. The liberty that comes with it, however, doesn’t have a price. To paint outside, you have to respect this profession, be professional, studious, converse with other artists, learn from them and be humble. It would grab our attention to be included in a book on the Santiago street art scene. It is a good sign that different things are being done and that not everyone follows the conventional path. It is very valuable to show that.”

Check out more of Estanpintando's work on Tumblr, and Lord K2's own work on his website. See 200 artworks and more interviews like these in Santiago Street Art, which you can pre-order on Amazon now, or buy on June 28, 2015.

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