Cantagallo- La Selva de Lima

Arriving in Cantagallo, a settlement atop a hill across the river from Barrios Altos. It's home to many Shipibo families from the Amazonian rainforest.

At the Municipal Building next door to Cantagallo. The plan was to paint the façade of their dividing wall, but at the last minute permission wasn't granted, so the artists decided to paint directly on walls.

Note the typical selva (rainforest) design.

WA painting directly on someone's house (with their enthusiastic consent, of course).

The kids join in too!

WA paints.

Jungle themes.

Jade paints with the kids.

Balloon shadows.

These two are just precious.

Murals that have been there depict scenes from the Amazon.

Lima's city center can be seen beyond the Rímac River (which, at this time of the year, is mostly empty and polluted).

One girl shows me her urban art.

Pogs!

Similarly shaped cheeks.

Welcome to Lima's Rainforest- Shipiba Community of Cantagallo-Rimac.

This one was taken by Andrew, a friend of mine from Fordham who came to visit Peru and was interested in getting to know the underground art scene.

Andrew in my (very pink!) office.

Zhimpa

Aurelio de la Guerra prepares some stickers to place outside. This face ended up covering a dog's head on an advertisement on Larco Avenue.

Some artwork at Zhimpa tattoo & piercing parlor. I'm here at a party for the grand opening of their new location in Miraflores.

Being quick!

The party, seen from below.

Mutha clothing includes designs by Jade, Wesr and other urban artists.

No crying.

Daniel did my nose piercing a few months ago.

Decertor's tattoo inspired by Yue Minjun.

Regresa

Another RAF mural, this one of Lucha Reyes, a famous criollo music singer who lived across the street from this wall about half a century ago.

The finished gato, perro y pericote-- Jade y Seam.

The son of a woman asking for money on the side of the street. Unfortunately this is a reality for many people in the center of Lima, just blocks away from the touristic main square.

José Luis.

One of Lima's many pueblos jóvenes up on a hill, this is the famous Cerro San Cristóbal, projected to have a cable car set up just like in Medellín.
About a year ago, a Dutch artist named Katinka Simosne organized a project to paint several of the houses pink, so that from the Plaza de Armas you could see a heart. I heard mixed reactions from artists and the residents of the neighborhood, but it certainly got people talking.

El Perro, El Gato y el Pericote

Jesús Flores, photographer, is on Jirón Ancash today to document the interventions along this street. Between Guillermo Torrico, the neighbors and I, 11 blocks of this street have been painted and a mural will be painted about every other block.

On-lookers.

Marcos Temoche, a talented artist who grew up between Peru and Venezuela.

Jade, from the Chorillos district of Lima and part of DA2 crew, traces the figures.

The man on the right claims that he's related to a famous thief from the 1950's, Barrios Altos' former Robin Hood.

El gato, el perro y el pericote (the cat, the dog and the mouse) are symbols related to Saint Martín de Porres (Only a few months back, Raf painted this saint on another street in Barrios Altos). In a famous tale, the animals had to share a bowl of water. We decided in a religious part of town, on the front of a quinta where water is in short supply, this image would be poignant and speak to the neighbors.

Somebody's not into it!