A Sampling of Madrid Street Art

Ana and I traveled to Madrid back in the summer of 2007 on a shoestring budget-meaning we stayed at hostels and the majority of our meals coming from the corner market. Fast forward to the spring of 2011 with a couple more Euros in our pockets meant we could take in a few more sights. Most days entailed 10 hours of roaming through the different neighborhood around the city with the daily stop at El Corte Ingles for a loaf of bread, a packet of cheese and chorizo, and a bottle of wine.

While street art was ubiquitous during our 2007 stay, the styles and the offerings have been on the up and up. By no means does this post attempt to cover the street art scene of Madrid, the author only wishes to share a tiny fraction of the colorful urban landscape.      

Most if not all the storefront metal gates had various stickers to locksmiths pasted at the bottom.

Our guest house was located in the heart of Chueca where we snapped the majority of our pix. 

Appropriate.

The Lavapies district showed some promise as well.

Hand painted business signs are the way to go.

Nothing says "we sell pork" like a gutted pig mural.

A sample of the minimalist street art movement.

Sometimes hiring a professional is a better option.

Iconic Mexican imagery has invaded the motherland and is a prominent player. There are Mexican themed restaurants on almost every corner. Just in case you're wondering, Nachos are starting to edge out tapas. 

Calaveras!

Ana says that you might not want to get your hair cut at this place.

Storefront in the Atocha district.

Not intentional, just worked out that way.

More Atocha.

Street drugs and street art.

There was actually open space behind these walls. But there was also a fire truck, ambulance, and several police cars on the side we took this image from. My vote was a crime scene. 

The free-for-all, anything goes mural.

On the firetruck...not really street art but...