Culture: Miami - Mecca Of Street Art

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - Miami is subtropical metropolis, a major harbor, a financial center and a tourist attraction. The city is famous for her hip life style influenced by Latin America & the nearby Caribbean. Miami is also a mecca of street art. 

My wife and I stayed there some days ago and were impressed by the onslaught of graffiti & murals. The city was preparing for Art Basel Miami, a giant show. Obviously this spectacle also attracts street artists from all over the world. I never seen so much and so impressive street art on one place.




                    Wonders Of  Wynwood 


We spotted most of the street art in the Wynwood district, a bohemian neighborhood in the north of the city. Apparently relative low rents & real estate prices attracted a lot of artists and then art galleries, restaurants, bars & breweries followed. Wynwoods´s gentrification created wonders of street art. Below a selection.

                         Work In Progress


Many artists were still preparing for the Basel Miami Show, so a lot of the murals were still work in progress. One of the artists expected a "pandemonium of street art".

                   The Magic Of Wynwood Walls

The gentrification of the Wynwood district was partly inspired by the real estate firm Goldman Properties, who also own the Bowery Wall in Manhattan (goldmanproperties). Buying real estate and rising its values by spicing it with art seems to be very profitable. These people are really smart.

In the Wynwood neigborhood they operate the Wynwood Walls, an area with just walls which are covered by amazing murals, a kind of open air museum (thewynwoodwalls). Admission is free and taking photos is allowed. There is also a little gallery which shows more works by street artists who had participated (walls). Below some of my favorites, a very subjective selection as usual,

Above a mural by Logan Hicks, a stencil artist from New York (workhorsevisuals).

                       Art Begets Business

Wynwood attracts a lot visitors at nighttime who are filling the restaurants, bars & brewery pubs. Art begets business. They get rewarded by the illuminated murals, some of them you can see below.
 

Enjoy!