In March 2009, the Brazilian government passed law 706/07 making street art and graffiti legal if done with the consent of building owners. As progressive of a policy as this may sound, the legislation is actually a reflection of the evolving landscape in Brazilian street art, an emerging and divergent movement in the global street art landscape.

Rio de Janeiro has been particularly progressive in its policy towards street art, with its 1999 "Não pixe, grafite" (Don't Tag, Graffiti) project that brought together 35 graffiti artists to showcase diversity in local styles. But more unique is the evolution of a permission hierarchy, blurring the line between formal and informal. The new street art law merely reinforced these unique patterns of street art and legitimized an already flourishing form of artistic expression.

In Brazil, there is a distinction made between tagging, known as pichação, and grafite, a street art style distinctive to Brazil. This distinction also has a sociological bent -- as Rio street artist Smael Vagner describes, "the tagger wants to put his name on the wall, to be famous, and is a vandalist, but the [street] artist is interested in aesthetics and community."

"Brazilian graffiti art is considered among the most significant strand[s] of a global urban art movement, and its diversity defies the increasing homogeneity of world graffiti."

-Design Week

According to Quito, an artist in Rio, street art is really an agreement between the population and the city. The movement began to flourish in Rio over the past 10 years, and it's currently having its "moment" with Rio artists going abroad to make their mark on foreign cities -- and graffiti artists from around the world are coming to the city to check out what's happening.

In Rio de Janeiro, street art is ubiquitous. It exists in all corners of the city, from the favelas to upper class neighborhoods, from residential to institutional. It is bold in scale and aesthetics and is anything but graffiti. The urban fabric of Rio de Janeiro also figures prominently in the evolving street art scene. The high walls, whether for security or to contain the topography, provide ample surfaces for painting. But rather than location dictating art, the relationship between owner and artist has a direct impact on where street art occurs

Owners of buildings, both residential and commercial, sometimes invite artists for commissions, which is done to protect from tagging, as an aesthetic choice or as an economic choice -- painting a façade with art may be cheaper than another mode of beautification. In another case, street artists ask permission from the owner.

According to Lu Olivero of the AEROSOuL CARIOCA project, Rio's street artists come to this wall to "make a name for themselves. It is, in my estimation, the largest collection of street art in the city, reserved for only the best. If Street Art had a professional league, the wall at Jardim Botânico would be the NBA."

The idea of creating a community through street art has manifested on numerous different levels. At the city level, there are different levels of participation by the government. One is to permit large-scale graffiti on underutilized and decaying walls and to not authorize "paint-overs." The most prominent location where this has occurred is the half-mile stretch along the high security walls of the Rio de Janeiro Jockey Club (Jocquei Clube Rio de Janeiro), situated across from the Botanical Garden (Jardim Botanico).

Quito believes the graffiti on the wall is on its third layer. According to Lu Olivero, who heads the AEROSOuL CARIOCA project in partnership with community organization, Mundo Real, Rio's street artists come to this wall to make a name for themselves. It is, in my estimation, the largest collection of street art in the city, reserved for only the best. If Street Art had a professional league, the wall at Jardim Botanico would be the NBA.

AEROSOuL CARIOCA has catalogued the entire wall in photographs, capturing 400 pieces of art by 300 different artists. Olivero says that the most interesting element of the wall is that "it's almost a competition. The pieces, nestled closely on the gray cement walls, are often referenced by the pieces they are next to, so if your piece is good, the artist that comes along after has to create something even better."

In "Women are Heroes" artist J.R. canvassed the Providencia favela in Rio de Janeiro with the eyes and portraits of women who lost a loved one in violence with the police. J.R. involves the community to add an architectural element to his work.

Cities are also directly involved in street art projects. Sao Paulo introduced the law Lei Cidade Limpa that was intended to prohibit billboard marketing in the city but had the unintended consequence of turning the city into a blank slate for mural art and graffiti. Sao Paulo now integrates street art into urban policies to revitalize neighborhoods. The city also developed criteria to catalogue works of art painted with permission from the building owner.

Caramundo, "Graffiti and street art are used to uplift neglected urban areas and stimulate safety in those areas by involving local residents and stimulating creativity." On the other hand, a city-run street art initiative in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro raised issues regarding whether promoting a beer brand in the art was a questionable decision on the part of the government. In Sao Paulo, the city has prohibited street art used as advertising.

The participants not only learn about graffiti techniques, but come into contact with art, culture, and language. Letters are important in graffiti, which means reading and writing are also addressed in the workshops.

On a more permanent basis, Projeto Queto is a community organization founded by Francisco da Silva, the founder and leader of the graffiti team, Naafo Crew. With support from the non-profit organization Caramundo, a community center was set up in Sampaoi. Anouk Piket of Caramundo speaks of the inspirational potential of graffiti in the favelas, along with its ability to establish discipline and structure: "We hope to inspire the youth to learn more and read more: to discover what life has to offer outside their day-to-day existence. The participants not only learn about graffiti techniques, but come into contact with art, culture, and language. Letters are important in graffiti, which means that reading and writing are also addressed in the workshops."

Another well-known project is the colorful facades of the Santa Marta favela, an initiative by artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn, who worked up with the Let's Colour Project. Known as Tudo de cor para voce, the project aimed to "inspire people through the preservation and injection of color that was given to the community's houses."

According to Quito, this project was also successful due to residents' preconceptions of their homes. They are interior focused, with any upgrades done in the areas where they will be living. As a result, it was not difficult to motivate an entire neighborhood to join forces into one unified work of art, covering over 7000 square meters. The project involved fifty members of the neighborhood and was painted using 2,000 liters of donated paint.

Graffiti has created a new horizon for young people that have become artists and teachers. It's a gateway to a new perspective on life for the poor who don't have other opportunities.

In addition to graffiti workshops, Projeto Queto also offers classes in audio production, silkscreen printing, sewing and fashion design. The end goal is to assist not only the creative process, but also in employment and the creation of small businesses. Smael Vagner, another member of Naafo Crew believes vocational opportunities are a byproduct of practicing street art: "Graffiti has created a new horizon for young people that have gone on to become artists and teachers. There are cases in which drug traffickers are now graffiti artists. It's a gateway to a new perspective on life for the poor in favelas who don't have other opportunities." While it is too soon to tell if these statements are utopian hopes, it is clear that the momentum for street art at the community level is strong and the city and state are on board to help create an environment in which it can flourish.

The urban fabric of Rio de Janeiro also contributes to the street art scene. The high walls, whether for security or to contain the topography, provide ample surfaces for painting. Rather than the location dictating the art, the relationship between owner and artist has a direct impact on the location. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note where the street art occurs. These observations are primarily based on walking through the Santa Theresa and Laranjeiras neighborhoods. In the explanation and photographic examples, I will also describe the ownership conditions in which the art is created where applicable.

Map of Rio de Janeiro

Santa Theresa, Rio de Janeiro

Jardim Botanico, Rio de Janeiro

Tudo de cor para voce, Santa Marta, Rio de Janeiro

Women are Heroes by JR at Providencia, Rio de Janeiro