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Santiago, with its deeply evolved and extremely active underground graffiti scene, bursts at the seams with an abundance of eye-popping, jaw-dropping murals. Stencil graffiti artist Lord K2 documents 14 neighbourhoods within the capital of Chile with his arresting photography and intimate conversations with local artists. In the latest book by this artist there are more than 200 images and 80 interviews, where we can learn how street art was influenced by American, European, and Brazilian graffiti and how its evolution runs parallel to the political history of the nation itself.

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During the Cold War, nationalist muralist brigades spread socialist idealism through symbols of power and oppression. Santiago’s repressed lower classes gradually usurped the art form, and murals eventually became a weapon of resistance. This vibrant city, with its array of distinct cultural districts, now invites you to experience its fascinating and tightly knit artistic community that has flourished since the fall of Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1990.

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Lord K2 is a London born artist who attended the London College Printing and then moved on to study business. Having spent a large portion of his working life trading stocks from his laptop and travelling extensively he has had the opportunity to witness how institutions and global economies truly function. This enabled him to make enough for himself to suspend work and move into art.

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He took to the streets as this is where his audience was, and stencil graffiti was what he was drawn to partly due to his photographic background as his stencils are through photographic images. Having learned his skills in Buenos Aires and after spending over 2 years in Latin America he is now planting his seeds in New York. He rarely signs his work on the streets and varies his art so it’s difficult to trace. He is currently working on a number of documentary projects which will be revealed soon.

Imogen McGill

Lord K2 (David Sharabani) is a London-born photographer and stencil graffiti artist. His works have been featured in galleries in New York, London and Tel Aviv. Click here for updates and to order Street Art Santiago now.