Spain is known for the street art that decorates major cities and towns all over the country, with multiple Spanish street artists reaching global acclaim. The street art phenomenon is especially significant not only for the identity it gives to Spain, but also for its relation to contemporary culture and expression. 

When walking the streets of Valencia, Spain, nowhere is the graffiti more prolific than Barrio Carmen, the historic district of Valencia. Tall buildings along winding stone alleys are adorned with color: depicting abstract images, portraits, and scenery reminiscent to that of the artists of the Escuela de Bellas Artes. Property owners often commission artists to decorate the entrance to their buildings, establishing a connection to the culture of artistic exhibition that exists within the city. Valencia is just one home to the countless networks of street artists across Spain: graffiti peppers the streets and surfaces of major cities, villages, and neighborhoods alike across the nation. 

In Barcelona and Madrid, the real graffiti phenomenon exists not in the streets, but underground: along the sides of metro cars. Given the costs of cleaning and repairing painted cars, this form of graffiti is revered as the most risky, and the most thrilling. Barcelona has begun to heighten its police presence in the metros to prevent vandalism, but this measure has only served to make the artists more crafty. Rappelling through vents, jumping fences, and running from the police have become commonplace in the laundry list of a street artist’s activities. 

The two principles that unite the diverse network of graffiti artists throughout Spain are anonymity and adventure. In this way, street art becomes an equalizing force for expression. Of the thousands of graffiti artists throughout Spain, there exists no single class or personal affiliation. From this anonymity arises solidarity; artists sometimes work in teams or paint in recognizable styles, but rarely is the actual identity of an artist public. 

Regarding adventure, José Sánchez, an anthropological researcher at Pompeu Fabra University, describes that from graffiti, artists find both a sense of belonging as well as adrenaline. There is, then, a dual impetus: to create some sort of permanence through visual expression, but also for the rush of the moment: the danger of painting in precarious situations, or of attempting to evade vandalism charges from the police. Sánchez offers the notion that the street art phenomenon arises as a microcosm for a contemporary society entrenched in immediate gratification, tactile pleasures, and hedonism, which Sánchez identifies mostly as the impact of youth culture. This explanation, however, seems to only cover part of the multifaceted nature of graffiti and its specific mode of public speech. 

One prolific street artist from the Gijon region of Northern Spain, who goes by the moniker “Señor X,” has become widely known as “Spain’s Banksy,” in reference to the mysterious British graffiti artist who has gained significant global acclaim in recent decades. Señor X’s work is focused on social commentary: the vast majority of his murals are anti-capitalist and anti-establishment. Señor X’s dynamic portfolio represents just part of the larger body of street art created in protest. 

Furthermore, the debate over graffiti as street art versus graffiti as vandalism is just one feature over the larger question of legitimate protest. Art and visual expression have long been means of protest: Picasso’s Guernica, one of the most renowned pieces in the Spanish canon was painted in response to the bombing of the civilians of Guernica, Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The murals of artists such as Señor X represent many of the same sentiments and involve similar artistic meticulousness, but are illegal, rather than revered. Nonetheless, street art remains an integral part of identity and expression within Spain, and furthers discussions as to the nature of protest and youth culture globally.

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Hallie is an undergraduate at the University of Virginia studying Foreign Affairs and Spanish. After graduation, she hopes to apply her passion for travel and social action toward a career in intelligence and policy analysis. Outside of the classroom, she can be found, quite literally, outside: backpacking, rock climbing, or skiing with her friends.