boa mistura rejuvinate mexican neighborhood with otomi art

boa mistura rejuvinate mexican neighborhood with otomi art

the setting for boa mistura‘s latest project is la colonia de las américas on the outskirts of querétaro, méxico – a humble community of working class people consisting of housing (much of which is self built) and small business: ‘misceláneas’ (grocery stores), taquerías, and cantinas.

américas is located across two sides of a hill, and has a ‘boomerang’ form overlooking the two main highways of the state; the ‘5 de febrero’ road and ‘bernardo quintana’, which converge exactly at the apex of las amércias — as a result the neighborhood is seen daily seen by thousands of people.

the community is filled with bright colors and patterns

late last year, boa mistura began work on a largescale intervention that reinforces the concept of ‘identity’ in the neighborhood. the first phase saw volunteers paint over 30 buildings with bright colors and forms inspired by the art of the otomíes, an indigenous people hailing from the same part of mexico. the second phase of the project will begin in september 2014 and and continue intermittently until all 1074 buildings have been re-painted.

those interested in volunteering to help with the next stages of the project can find full details here »

a brightly colored patten has been painted on the wall of the building

the façade of the residence is brought to life with paint

the intervention reinforces the concept of ‘identity’ in the neighborhood

the streets in mexico are colorized by the community

patterns are painted on the walls

yellow, orange and blue geometry are printed on the building

community members take part in the intervention

painting the town  

colors intersect with the botanical life in the neighborhood

the street is brought to life through the artistic intervention

project credits:
proart foundation
ICCAD (instituto de creatividad, cultura, arte y desarrollo de querétaro)
montana colors
sayer paints
auriga cranes