The murals of Caracas

The last of three articles on popular art in the Bolivarian Revolution, originally published by venezuelanalysis.com here. Photos by Silvia Leindecker.
Translations of the Spanish provided where required.


In Caracas, murals decorate the walls of barrios with the sentiments and aspirations of the people. These creations, sometimes elaborate and detailed, sometimes simple and direct, are often the product of a collective effort among neighbors to beautify their living space. In the community spaces as well as the nooks and crannies of the bustling, sprawling city, this art rivals commercial billboards that permeate much of the visual landscape. In many cases the murals pay homage to Latin American heroes who continue to inspire people to fight for freedom and justice. They also tell stories of history, oppression, and resistance.

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‘Twentieth Century’


‘Constructing Popular Power’ (left), ‘94.7FM Free Radio to the rhythm of 23 [de Enero barrio]’ (centre)


‘The Federal War’ (top), ‘Tremble, oligarchs’ (centre), ‘Free Land and Men’(bottom)


‘Simón Bolívar Coordinator: with Bolívar, with Manuel, with the people to power’


‘The Invasion’








‘European conquest’


‘Community Strength: Ernesto “Che” Guevara’

Urban Street Art by the Communicational Liberation Army

The second of three articles on popular art in the Bolivarian Revolution, originally published by venezuelanalysis.com here.


By Ejercito Comunicacional de Liberacion

The urban street art produced by the Communicational Liberation Army has been sarcastically mocked and framed as government propaganda by the mainstream international media, including the New York Times and Reuters. In reality, the Urban Interventions Festival held in La Pastora (a Caracas barrio) provides a forum for constructive, empowering community engagement. It opens the door for popular sentiment to be creatively expressed beyond the boundaries of commercialised marketing, which usually dominates the urban visual landscape and attempts to define citizenship and political participation within a consumerist framework.

In the words of festival organisers:

Street art is a medium for humanising and enabling public spaces, at the same time as it proposes a reconstruction of the relationship of citizens with their street, their neighbourhood, and their city: Everyday dialogue between reality and the absurd.

The festival included many forms of artistic expression in addition to murals and graffiti, such as dance, puppets and other theatre, painting and stenciling, video, and stickers.

Photos by Ejercito Comunicacional de Liberacion.

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A poster promoting the ‘Urban Interventions Festival’ of April 2010.

Photo Essay: Revolutionary Walls

As part of a continuing interest in the development of the Bolivarian Revolution, I reproduce three recent articles on popular art from venezuelanalysis.com. This is the first, originally published here.


By Communicational Guerrilla cooperative

For two years, the cooperative Communicational Guerrilla has been painting murals on Caracas city walls using stencils and templates made from metal or other hard but economic materials. They cut the image, and sometimes text, into the material, then paint using spray cans.

Carlos Zerpa, a designer and member of the collective, told ABN that they began the collective out of the “necessity... to deepen the revolution and democratise knowledge.”

The collective also conducts workshops in the communities and schools so that others can learn the technique.

Photos from www.nosabemosdisparar.blogspot.com, visit the link to see more [in Spanish language — E.H.].

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Walter Martinez, the host of the Venezuelan TV show ‘Dossier’, a news analysis show.




“A man without social knowledge is a slave”








‘Watering socialism’










‘27F, nor forget, nor pardon’. The 27th of February 1989, the day of the Caracazo when thousands of anti-neoliberal protestors were killed by the government of the time.




‘Make socialism fly.’