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Cars in traffic jams, pedestrians rushing to reach their destination on time, street vendors trying to sell their goods to secure a small income at the end of the day. Different classes inhabit the same places under different circumstances. There is one thing, however, common to all: the art that surrounds them.

Even though the car driver doesn't become a pedestrian, just as street vendors aren't part of the largest consumer group of "academic" art—which is confined to specific environments, geared toward a specific audience—there is a type of artistic production that not only serves as a visual enhancement of the urban environment but is also accessible to everyone who passes through the area where it is located.

Urban art, generally associated with social movements, the emotional appeals of its creators, the representation of a concern, a thought, a piece of history, among many other situations, is present in city centers and suburbs and is responsible for the split second in which a person presses pause on everyday life and, in a short time, turns their gaze to a work of art. There, among cars, pedestrians, and street vendors, in the open air.

The freedom of support, however, gives rise to countless questions that implicitly arise in the development of a street art project. Who allowed it to be created? Under what circumstances did the artist develop it? Does anyone support them?

To begin the debate about the appreciation of urban art, therefore, it is important to emphasize that, however spontaneous it may be, it does not emerge from nowhere. Sometimes, there is a professional behind those drawings who must bear the costs of executing that work. After all, if it is consumed and, above all, in demand, someone has to, in addition to creating it, finance it.

With this in mind, we represent this issue with two practical examples of independent artists who make art their livelihood, be it economic, social, emotional, political, or therapeutic: Lundis, from Land Art, and Gil Leros, from Graffiti.
Land Art: Urban Art Gives Space to Sustainability

Amid the turbulent context of daily life in the capital of Maranhão, "land art," or Land Art in its original English, emerges as an alternative for the proliferation of art without damaging the environment. In fact, it offers the integration of art and natural resources, thus preserving the local ecosystem.

In this context, local artists are already pursuing this initiative, taking advantage of the resources nature offers and spreading their art throughout the city. Lundis da Silva, 27, has been in the artistic world for eight years and has been practicing Land Art for a year and a half, drawing mandalas in the sand. In this way, he is able to raise awareness and encourage people to reflect on caring for nature.

"Land Art is an ephemeral art, an art that doesn't harm the environment, and a free art, completely free. It also helps me connect with people passing by the seashore. I make mandalas in the sand on the beach. I develop these mandalas using natural resources. I arrive here without any tools, and I search along the shore," he explained of his creative process.

Besides enabling a connection between art and the ecosystem, Lundis also uses the opportunity to connect with people. He shares: "This connection gives me an advantage in terms of both having more services and creating the opportunity to convey what I want to convey through my art. With this artistic intervention, I open a door to tell you about the environment and to tell you about local artists. That's why I feel good, because I'm talking about myself and what I do best."

Not only that, but art created this way, displayed on the beach, also allows the public to realize that São Luís do Maranhão does indeed have a range of talented and competent artists. This strategy aims to break with the trend of overvaluing foreign artists: importing artistic labor to develop projects that could be done by locals is also a way of devaluing local art.
Graffiti Yes, Graffiti No

It's common, even more than expected, to see the act of graffiti referred to as "graffiti" in news reports, articles, and texts. Anthropologically speaking, however, the need arose to distinguish the terms, since if the term "graffiti" isn't correct, yet it's used, it requires a concept. It's said, then, that graffiti, with FITE, is nothing more than street paintings that are in demand by the market and acclaimed by the media in general. The topic in question is graffiti, written with FFITI: coming from hip-hop, in the 70s, it was born with the purpose of bringing, to art, extremely relevant social issues, especially in the suburbs of the United States – where the black population was the majority.

Still contextually addressing concepts and terminology essential for deconstructing the graffiti-graffiti confusion that persists in society to this day, introducing the term pichação as a synonym for graffiti becomes an increasingly urgent way to dissect this movement as a whole and, of course, to work on breaking down prejudice barriers.

Regarding this, Gil Leros, a graffiti artist for over 20 years, argues: "Graffiti and tagging are basically the same thing. Only the aesthetic characteristics change, but the attitude of doing it, of going out on the street and scratching, was born in the same way. When graffiti is born, it's born from something that society doesn't like."

Whether it's a tag indicating the artist's name, a word, or an illustration, graffiti takes us beyond a visual scheme, since, at its core, it emerges as a protest – sometimes, a group's voice manifests itself through the colors on the walls, other times, a story is artistically told on the city's walls, forming the urban landscape that will be the stage for stories yet to come.

In the latter case, Gil Leros's new work offers a prime example of history through art. Located in the São Francisco neighborhood, the new mural, developed by the artist in partnership with the collective Efeito Colateral, pays homage to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and represents the most important aspects of the movement's emergence – which also includes DJing, rap, and breakdancing.

Leros explains that his part of the mural, which depicts DJ Grandmaster Flash, refers to the originating myth of hip-hop – the poster for the party held by the DJ, which was held to raise funds for his sister's school supplies. "This is the oldest document that describes this hip-hop thing, this hip-hop structure of having this social engagement," adds the artist.
The fine line between diversity and lack of opportunity

Whether in urban spaces like buildings and overpasses, or in contact with nature, from flowers on the beach, art symbolizes the liberation of the human spirit through the simplest form of creativity. Thousands of artists seek space in the local art world, but encounter problems related mainly to the high valuation of outside artists and the bureaucracy involved in participating in public notices.

Regarding this, Lundis states: "Public policies aimed at the art field don't facilitate artists. I'm talking about public notices, like Rouanet, Aldir Blanc, Paulo Gustavo. I speak from personal experience. I'm not a legal entity, I'm an individual. When we go to submit our projects for public notices, there's a whole bureaucracy for people who aren't legal entities."

An important point to highlight is the way in which calls for proposals and the provision of resources do not favor the practicality of artists' lives. In other words, assistance from public agencies has not been effective in contributing to the artists' work. In some cases, the amount offered is not ideal for the artist, mainly because the costs of art go beyond labor: they often also include work materials, paints, and, when necessary, protective equipment.

In these situations, when the artist makes a counteroffer that considers all these costs in addition to their labor, the responsible institution rejects it, disregards it, and seeks another individual who will do the same work for a paltry sum for the institutional coffers. Leros points out: "Let's suppose the government doesn't issue bids for graffiti, but wants to hire a budget of ten thousand reais. They'll consider several bids and opt for the cheapest, for example, R$500. This ends up creating a market structure that leads to bankruptcy, a somewhat unequal and unrealistic structure," he explains.

These obstacles prevent independent artists from receiving greater external support and sponsorship, which hinders their growth, especially for those just starting out. "It's very difficult to be an artist here in São Luís. That's why most artists who start out in the art field don't succeed, because it's so closed-off, it's very difficult. One tip I would give would be to simplify the issue of bids. Be more comprehensive in the terms posted on the website," suggests Lundis.

It is in this context, then, that there is an urgent need to shift the focus of urban art beyond beauty. The debate about the appreciation of street artists and their work is not new, but there is still much to be achieved, especially in Maranhão: importing labor and, above all, creating more opportunities for them within our state.
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