Painting the Concrete Jungle: Cranio's use of the streets as a platform for socio-political communication

Brazil is a nation whose streets pulsate with energy and vivacity. However, the streets of contemporary Brazil continue to be plagued with injustice; racism, poverty, marginalisation of groups, rainforest depletion and wealth disparity play a significant role in the lives of many local inhabitants. Thus, Brazil’s streets have quickly served as a unique platform for socio-political communication, upon which commentaries and critique of political systems or wrongdoings can be expressed freely. As such, the practice of street art has become a highly popular phenomenon to emerge across the region, tackling a plethora of issues with a creative flair. Fabio de Oliveira Parnaiba, more commonly known as Cranio, is a Brazilian street artist whose goal is to highlight the socio-political injustices of his country through his graffiti. Utilising an indigenous character placed in numerous situations and contexts, Cranio invites the local as well as the international population to re-contemplate...Show moreBrazil is a nation whose streets pulsate with energy and vivacity. However, the streets of contemporary Brazil continue to be plagued with injustice; racism, poverty, marginalisation of groups, rainforest depletion and wealth disparity play a significant role in the lives of many local inhabitants. Thus, Brazil’s streets have quickly served as a unique platform for socio-political communication, upon which commentaries and critique of political systems or wrongdoings can be expressed freely. As such, the practice of street art has become a highly popular phenomenon to emerge across the region, tackling a plethora of issues with a creative flair. Fabio de Oliveira Parnaiba, more commonly known as Cranio, is a Brazilian street artist whose goal is to highlight the socio-political injustices of his country through his graffiti. Utilising an indigenous character placed in numerous situations and contexts, Cranio invites the local as well as the international population to re-contemplate the societies in which they exist. This thesis explores Cranio’s use of context, location, style and technique, to understand how graffiti can be used as a socio-political communicative and critical tool. Including a personal interview with Cranio, it strives to display the power of the arts in achieving a heightened socio-political awareness.Show less

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Painting the Concrete Jungle: Cranio's use of the streets as a platform for socio-political communication