The Colorful Street Art in São Paulo, Brazil

The street art in São Paulo is one of the best things to do in this overwhelmingly huge city. São Paulo, Brazil is a crazy place, one of the largest cities in the world, in fact, and my husband’s hometown. During our annual trip to Brazil to visit family, I always enjoy the variety of things to do in São Paulo, especially the city’s culture and art scene.

But upon arriving in São Paulo, the amount of painting on the walls is overwhelming — graffiti is all over garage doors, house facades, and business fronts, and most of it is honestly an eyesore. But you’ll soon also be struck by the beautiful street art in São Paulo. It’s common to spot paintings like this one on street corners while waiting at a red light:

Street art in São Paulo

The growing popularity of street art in cities around the world has followed the transformation of what used to be considered “graffiti” into a type of art that’s both respected and enjoyed. In São Paulo, murals decorate sides of buildings as well as store fronts and even facades of houses. It transforms what could be a monotonous sea of off-white high rise apartment buildings and gray, worn-down shop fronts into a vibrant, colorful, and funky megalopolis.

 

São Paulo, Brazil, has one of the world’s best cities for street art thanks in part to an active counterculture and talented street artists like Os Gêmeos.

Read more: The Museum of Art in São Paulo

Street artists in São Paulo

Some of the best known artists whose work you may see in São Paulo are the following:

Eduardo Kobra, (who is known as just Kobra) is probably the best known Brazilian muralist. His works are easy to spot because they are made up of colorful triangles or diamond shapes, like a kaleidescope.

Os Gêmeos, twin brothers whose work is explained more below

Nunca, whose work explores indigenous themes

Cranio, whose work explores themes of the environment and consumerism. His art is easily recognizable with bright blue indigenous figures.

Alex Senna, whose black and white work is easy to spot.

Os Gêmeos

When in São Paulo, you can’t miss the work of Os Gêmeos, Brazil’s best known street artists. Os Gêmeos means “the twins,” and these twin brothers from São Paulo have added art works to cities around the world. Their work is easily recognizable as it usually includes distinctive yellow faces, a rainbow of bright colors and surreal images.

They are invited to paint places legally and, for example, received a commission to paint a mural on the wall of the Modern Art Museum of São Paulo in Parque Ibirapuera.

Where to see street art in São Paulo

Street art is all over the city, so any visit to São Paulo will provide you the opportunity to see murals and other small work all over town. While driving on Minhocao (an avenue called “the big worm” that goes through the city), you’ll see murals painted on the buildings. While driving or strolling down Avenida Paulista, you’re bound to see some street art, possibly including the big mural of the incredible 20th-century architect Oscar Niemeyer by Kobra. Besides these places, your best bet is to head to the neighborhood of Vila Madalena:

Vila Madalena

Probably the best part of the city to see street art is the funky neighborhood of Vila Madalena, where you can come upon an image with a message, like this one: “There are things that only silence tells us.”

While in Vila Madalena, you may want to walk along Rua Antônio Bicudo and check out the corner of Rua Sumidouro and Rua Fernão Dias to see iconic works by world-famous Brazilian artists like Cranio (the blue indigenous characters) and Eduardo Kobra.

Beco do Batman

Beco do Batman (Batman’s Alley) in Vila Madalena is a small winding street completely covered in art. The sheer number of paintings make it one of the best places to see street art in São Paulo.

The art covers the houses that line the alleyway.

We were fortunate to see artists in the process of making a new mural:

Next to Beco do Batman is another alleyway called Beco do Aprendiz.

If you go:

Be aware that Beco do Batman is an area that can easily flood. São Paulo gets a lot of afternoon thunderstorms in the summer, and Beco do Batman is a very low point in the city, so even when it’s raining in another part of the city, Beco do Batman can fill with water quickly. Some men that we met that day told us that the day before, the street had flooded very quickly and the water came up to their waists.

This is also a place to watch your valuables and avoid at night.

Beco do Batman is located in Vila Madalena, a neighborhood full of hip bars and restaurants. Just up the street is Banana Verde, a nice vegetarian restaurant.

Have you seen the street art in São Paulo? Where have you seen impressive street art?