Street Art in Madrid – best artists and upcoming graffiti festivals

There’s a lot of great street art in Madrid.

And I’m no expert, so when I met Javier at a recent meeting of the prestigious Madrid Blogger Network, I signed him up to do a guest post.

Javier does street art tours in Madrid, and knows a lot of the best graffiti artists…

So if you’re into street art, he’s your guy.

Here’s Javier…

Where’s the best street art in Madrid?

Just by walking around the neighborhoods of Lavapiés and Malasaña, you might have recognized that street art in Madrid is very active.

Have you ever noticed the number of metal shutters covered with illegal tags and throw ups?

Any character in particular that got your attention?

If so, hold on because I am about to tell you some inside information about the best graffiti in Madrid.

Here we go…

Where do members of the street art community in Madrid meet?

Despite the fact that graffiti is an illegal action, some artists decided to move ahead and turn their tags into artistic creations.

Should you wonder where they meet, I will tell you that there is a workshop in town where all these guys (and ladies) hang out!

It’s called El Keller and its located on the underground level of La Tabacalera (at metro Embajadores).

Guto Ajayu, En Llama or Brodbus are artists who meet at this former tobacco factory on a daily basis.

They spend hours working on what they love most!

Actually, you can freely attend any of these workshops, which are held on Tuesdays from 6.00PM onwards at El Keller.

How can I tell if the street art in Madrid was done legally or illegally?

Basically, ask yourself this question: Does it look like art? Would you buy it? If so, then you’ve got your answer.

Digging deeper into the matter, there are several festivals related to the street art in Madrid that you shouldn’t miss.

Here they are:

 this month of February, a festival called Urvanity will take place at Palacio de Neptuno.

They will not only exhibit the work of internationally known artists in an indoor location, but several open air facades and walls will be decorated.

Get in touch with the guys from Cooltourspain, as they will be providing a free street art tour in Madrid during those days.

Also, Pinta Malasaña and CALLE Lavapiés are two of the most famous graffiti festivals in Madrid.

People from all over the world submit their applications in order to participate.

Are you an artist and interested in painting your artwork in Madrid’s walls?

Contact them ASAP as the positions are gone quickly! You will receive 150€ worth of material to create your design.

Street art in Madrid on your way to work!

Cercanías users spend an average of 25 minutes commuting to work.

It’s on the way that people observe tags and huge names written on the walls of train tracks. Ever seen the names of RON’s CREW or FARLOPA?

Those are probably Madrid’s most active graffiti crews. The members of these groups have tagged and painted over thousand of kilometers along these tracks and highways.

Are you familiar with the names of KORS, CHUSO, KAREN, MONGE, SCANER…?

If not, keep your eyes open next time you’re on the train – there’s lots of street art in the area outside the city as well.

Enjoy!

Javier.

P.S. About the author: Javier Garcia, also known as Giovanni Colomo on Facebook is a 30 year old former bilingual teacher in the states of Texas and Colorado. He created Cooltourspain to provide an alternative to the usual free tours of Madrid. As a graffiti writer Garcia loves to paint in abandoned villages and underground tunnels. You might see him around the Lavapiés area.

P.P.S. Note from Mr Chorizo: I have some really nice street art in my lovely Tetuán neighborhood, done by a guy named El Rey de la Ruina. Every morning I look out my window and I can see two of his creations. They’re pretty sweet.

P.P.P.S. If you liked this article, you might also like some other articles about different neighborhoods in Madrid. Here’s one about Usera, and here’s La Latina. And if you want something more general, check out the pros and cons of living in Madrid.

P.P.P.P.S. Got any favorite street art here in Madrid? Let us know where to see it, here in the comments.