The Tragedy Of Tagging

'Don't turn the other cheek!'

A few years ago, the city sponsored a street art festival in an alley off of Calle 13, on the way to the Paloquemao Market.

A sad street art alley.

The artists produced a bunch of colorful, interesting works, most famously the one above, sponsoring Rosie the Riveter of WWII fame, declaring 'Don't turn the other cheek!'

The phrase can be interpreted as a call for self assertion, for fighting back against gender violence, for not taking things lying down.

And here's the 'other cheek' wall today.

Unfortunately, over the years the art pieces were progressively
painted over. The cheek mural lasted the longest, making me think that perhaps the tagging gangs held it in a special esteem, and it became one of Bogotá's most iconic graffitis.

That wasn't quite true, I discovered a week ago passing thru the alley with a bike tour. Today, the wall looks like this:

All gone now.

Time for another graffiti festival!

On 26th St. as well, some of Bogotá's most famous street art pieces have been attacked.

Aren't there enough blank walls around for these guys to deface?

This anti-mining mural on 26th St. got mutilated.

This mural sponsored by the Centro de Memoria pays tribute to victims of Colombia's conflict, but not so much anymore.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours