Mid November 2023
Introduction
This is a continuation of my previous post. Again, I’ll show new street art I found along Calle Cerra and recall the murals they replaced. When possible, I’ll provide information about the artist.
Ana Marietta
Ana Marietta, also know as Ana Maria Ortiz, is an American muralist, based in Houston, Texas. The mural below, like her other art, captures animal life with exaggerated features. She has murals in London, Miami, Turin, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Kiev, and other places as well. Google her name to learn more.
This mural is above Julieta’s Bar and Restaurant. Note they are advertising Alhambra, a Spanish beer.
The mural above replaced this one by the same artist. The image, taken in 2020, also serves to document the continuing gentrification of the neighborhood.
El Basta
I found El Basta on Instagram but the page wasn’t very informative. A muralist from Santurce, San Juan, he created the wall art below. Mal Caribe translates roughly as bad Caribbean.
Below is a detail of the mural. Note the car in front of the wall. It gives an idea of the scale of the work.
El Basta’s mural replaced the one below. It depicts the disease and pestilence brought to the Caribbean by the European explorers. I wonder if it is by the same muralist.
Rafael Enrique Vega (@rafiquepr)
Originally from Ponce, Rafael Enrique Vega is currently associated with the School of Plastic Arts and Design of Puerto Rico. His mural is just off Avenida Fernando Juncos. Given it’s large size, I’ll show two images of it.
The mural replaced the one below, which I always thought honored a local cleric.
Unknown Artists
I don’t always see, or can’t decipher, signatures on the murals. For example, I see DE CERTOR on the mural below. But I find nothing relevant when I Google it.
The mural above replaced this one.
This mural is farther down the street, off of a parking lot.
It replaced this one. I can read the artist’s signature but I have not yet followed up in it. I like the perspective – note how large the hands seem.
I’ll show one more before and after. This is one a side street, just off of Calle Cerra.
Here is what was on that stretch of wall earlier. While the earlier work was interesting, I for some reason prefer the current mural.
Miscellaneous
Every neighborhood needs delivery trucks. The ones on Calle Cerra are different from other neighborhoods.
And every neighborhood needs a Ferreteria, hardware store. But the one on Calle Cerra is unique.
Notes and Sources
The images are mine. I use a digital point and shoot camera and use Adobe Lightroom and/or Photoshop for editing.
Google any of the artists names for more information about them.