Spotlight: Latin American Muralists

For the PLU8 launch, PLU’s César interviewed Latin-American artists living in Paris who painted murals inspired by their roots in the 10th arrondissement. Check out the interview here!

Credit for the photos in this post go to Mauricio el Moro. You will find a photo at the bottom of this post which lists the names of the artists who participated as well as their social media and the locations of the murals.

Find these murals on Rue Alibert at the intersection with Avenue Parmentier in the 10th arrondissement, sponsored by Les3Murs and Mairie du 10ème arrondissement.

It was a balmy summer night in late September when I happened to cross by rue Alibert in the 10th district of Paris. At that point, I had already made the Canal Saint-Martin a hang-out spot throughout the long months of déconfinement, since I hadn’t really traveled anywhere and had been stuck in Paris for the whole of 2020. I was therefore naturally surprised and pleased to take part in this project at the last minute. Most of the other artists were finishing up their respective parts of the mural when I arrived. The Latin-American root-essence was as strong as I could conceive.

Even though it has been almost two decades since I left my Peruvian homeland in search of new territories and adventures, I have always kept those ancient origins and traditions at heart. As a result, stumbling upon this project turned out to be one of the highlights of my personal Parisian experience. Aside from other cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Barcelona, where I’ve had the opportunity to develop a strong artistic inclination, I knew from the start how special it was to witness the legacy of this visual kinship at its melting-pot level. Perhaps this is truly why I decided to make this metropolis my permanent home. There is always an opportunity to transcend in almost every sense of the word.

Reenergized by the idea of a community, I took to the streets and marveled at the abundance of depictions that spoke of the colorful varieties engendered by the Latin American soul: its power and creative drive to bring a whole landmass together despite the distances. These projections showcase the ways in which we are more than just mechanized products of historical evolution. They show how we are teeming with a flora and fauna unparalleled in the biosphere, which in turn demonstrate our willingness to prevail and commune with Nature, above all. A wave of awareness permeates every single fiber of these pieces.

The mural’s initiative was undertaken with the help of the Association Les 3 Murs, and the Mairie du 10ème arrondissement allowed the slew of muralists to gather and exchange their ideas on the main subject of the project: "Nature and Art in Latin America". After a couple of months of constant painting, the mural was accomplished. However, there couldn’t be an official vernissage, given that a new curfew and confinement were established. We hope that the public at large can properly get together and walk down this street, commenting on their visions with one another, in the near future.

The activity undertaken with this group reminded me that I was never really far from home. Here, there are like-minded beings who can bring the essence up from a common, ancient endeavor, creating a space where we are bound to embrace our roots through constructive conversations around a wide-ranging thematic. You can see me interview the artists, as well as get a glimpse of the murals as they were produced in the video that was debuted for the PLU8 Magazine E-launch. You’ll have a chance to see and hear about the inspiration that made them pursue their most current projects, and a look ahead to further collaborations with the ever-growing PLU community.  

Happy Winter Solstice celebrations, Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, Yule, XmaS, New Year’s approach and many good wishes for your reading pleasure! 

Yours truly,

César Eduardo

César Eduardo working on his colorful contribution to the wall on rue Alibert.

Placard commemorating the work done by the Latin-American artists which details their names, social media, and the different locations of the murals.