Man passing wall painting of orange bird
Chile,  Photographing Public Art,  Street art,  Travel galleries

Gallery: searching for street art in Santiago, Chile

If like me you enjoy a wander around an interesting neighbourhood just as much (if not more) as seeing the major sights of a city, Santiago’s Barrio Lastarria is likely to appeal. This is the perfect area to stroll through and enjoy for its ambiance and street life. And it’s a great district in which to photograph street art.

The district is roughly triangular in shape and lies between the Cerro Santa Lucia to the east and Plaza Baquedano to the west, with the Parque Forestal as its northern border and the Avenida del Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins to the south. It takes its name from the 19th century Chilean writer Jose Victorino Lastarria Santander.

The Barrio Lastarria is also an excellent spot for some people-watching, one of our favourite holiday pastimes. We enjoyed a coffee in a little square just off José Victorino Lastarria while soaking up our last dose of spring sunshine on the morning of our departure from Chile.

Street art in the Barrio Lastarria

This is definitely an area worth seeking out for a stroll with camera in hand. So here’s a selection of photos taken there for this week’s Photographing Public Art challenge.

Wall painting of grey and blue bird
Mural of bright orange bird

The two photos above are a pair, with these large birds either side of the window

Blue tiles with brown figures

Like the two birds above (and in my featured photo), this was taken on Merced, on the northern fringes of the Barrio

The café’s shutters are closed but the tables and chairs are in position

Emulating the Old Masters perhaps?

Two more from Merced

I found these very different blue women near Universidad Católica metro station

Round bollard painted as a face

There were some interesting painted bollards near the same station

One of my favourite pieces (the flowers) and one of the largest

Two more large ones, from outside the the Museo de Artes Visuales; unfortunately we weren’t able to go inside, as we were here on a Monday when most Santiago museums are closed

Two more to finish, again from the area around the Universidad Católica metro station

I visited Santiago in 2016

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