Graffiti is in every city. Some are more visually pleasing than others, and their functions are different, too. Some fulfill the role of making social critics with strong messages, while others seem like the works of vandals.
A great debate can be put on the table about these graphic expressions in Cartagena. Specifically in the Massive Integrated Transportation System (SITM), Transcaribe, which began its operation in 2015 with impeccable stations, many of which today are full of scratches, signatures and even declarations of love.
Also read: “Transcaribe is an unsustainable system”: director of Cedetrabajo
Can these demonstrations be considered as artistic expressions or as vandalism? On a tour by The universal, we found graffiti in the following Transcaribe stations: Los Ángeles, Bazurto, Plaza de Toros and Las Delicias. In these you can see scratched boards, destroyed notices and rusty tubes from wear.
This is what one of the cleanest stations looks like, located a few minutes from the historic center.
However, this is how the “Los Ángeles” station looks like, near the “La Castellana” station.
Another station that is not far behind is Bazurto. Although it has fewer scratches, this stop is deteriorated by rust.
artists speak
Can these demonstrations be considered as artistic expressions or as vandalism? Likewise, we contacted some artists from Cartagena to analyze the type of messages. They explained that graffiti in general is critical, humorous or rude content, recorded or written on walls in public places.
However, they made it clear that not all those who carry out this activity do so in the same way. “To make a graffiti, we first make a sketch in a notebook, then we choose where we are going to draw it. We are a group of six graffiti artists in Cartagena, and we usually ask for permission to use a wall. Not all of those who carry out this activity do so illegally,” explained Serok Siete, an artist from Cartagena.
Also read: Graffiti in Castillo San Felipe: they are erased, but the damage persists
They also explained why some marks on walls and surfaces are due. “There are different levels of graffiti, those who are just learning begin to scratch walls with their signatures so that they know them, in addition to having a fever to go out and paint and, since they have nowhere to try, many times they begin to scratch public places to go perfecting techniques, know how the paint comes out and the lines are improving ”, they indicated.
“It comes out through an arm and a leg”
The group assures that nothing economic comes out of them. “It’s expensive, each aerosol bottle costs $20,000, and to do a basic graffiti one is spending about eight aerosols,” they revealed. And they added: “We want to show our work, one also lives from this, they have called us to make murals inside houses and schools.”
Is it vandalism?
According to the criminal code, it is prohibited to carry out any kind of graffiti, graffiti and inscriptions, both in public spaces and on urban furniture, or on walls, walls of buildings, facades, statues, monuments, public urban trees and, in general. , any integral element of the city.
Serok Siete explains that not only artists scratch the city with art, other citizens also enter the role of graffiti artists. “Anyone from Cartagena can do graffiti. If it is positive or negative, this is still a graffiti. In this sense, those who scratch the Transcaribe stations are generally revolutionaries, students who are part of anti-corruption movements, generally they criticize their positions, it is not art as such, ”he explained.
It’s a crime?
Graffiti is penalized as a crime against property, specifically as a crime of “Damage to things”. Article 349. – When by any means damage, destruction or deterioration of another’s property, or of one’s own property is caused to the detriment of a third party, the sanctions of simple theft will be applied.
It is shown that it is an illegal art because it is carried out on private property and without the owner’s permission, but the true graffiti artist is not a criminal, nor is he dedicated to the sale of drugs, and beyond the dangers to which they are exposed daily continue faithful to this art.
Also read: Reprehensible! Foreigners paint graffiti on the wall of the Castillo de San Felipe
Graffiti can be fined, but it is not a crime. It is an administrative offense that can be settled with an arrest of 12, 24 or 36 hours, as well as an economic sanction of 1,370 pesos.
What does Transcaribe say?
According to what was reported by the Integrated Mass Transportation System (SITM), carrying out maintenance at stations marked with graffiti has a cost that is assumed by the maintenance and expansion fund.
“What is done in this case is to finance everything that is maintenance and infrastructure, but currently that is a problem for Transcaribe, because with this situation it is difficult to feed that fund in accordance with the difficulties they have,” the entity explained.
