Edgar Saner

The following guest post is by Houda Lazrak

Since the International Public Art Festival (IPAF) produced the first mural and street art festival on Isla Holbox in 2014, the island — an off-the-beaten-path tropical destination located on the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula — has been home to several dozen public artworks. The image featured above is the work of  the celebrated Mexican artist Edgar Saner. Several more murals that greeted me during a recent trip to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula follow:

Mexican artist and musician Ekza One

Peruvian artist Jade Rivera

The Mexican graffiti and street art collective Pinta o Muere

As part of the protected nature reserve Yum Balam, the island’s local culture is deeply connected to its nonhuman inhabitants and Isla Holbox makes special efforts to follow environmentally conscious practices. The island’s diverse wildlife life and some of its marine folklore are reflected on the walls of its sandy car-free streets. Below is a small selection of these murals scattered throughout Holbox:

Canadian artist Labrona

Mexican artist Luna Vega

Montreal-based artist and IPAF Festival co-founder Ruben Carrasco 

Photos by Houda Lazrak

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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The following guest post is by Houda Lazrak

While in Mexico City shortly before the devastating earthquake, Roberto ShimizuCreative Director of The Antique Toy Museum of Mexico (MUJAM) and co-organizer of Mexico City’s street art festival All City Canvas, introduced me to over a dozen murals — mainly in the neighborhoods of Roma Norte, Doctores and downtown. Featured above is by Mexico City – based Curiot who — upon returning to Mexico City after living in the US —  painted a center for youth who struggle with difficulties within the traditional school system. What follows is a sampling of several more murals, organized by Roberto Shimizu, that I saw:

Arty & Chikle, the first gay street art couple to come out in Mexico City

Valencia-based Escif — at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, where the Tlatelolco massacre occurred on October 2, 1968. Students met in this plaza for a peaceful demonstration and reportedly hundreds of them were shot and killed when the military opened fired on them. The image depicts former Interior Secretary Luis Echeverría requesting President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz to order the shooting. Decades later, Echeverría was put on trial for the massacre.

UK-based D*Face

Mexico City-based Edgar Flores aka Saner

Mexico City-based Hilda Palafox aka Poni

LA-based El Mac on his mural: The image I painted is based on photos I took of a social activist and poet named María Guardado, who was tortured and left for dead in 1980 by government forces during the civil war in El Salvador. She was one of thousands of civilian victims of that war, during which the US-backed Salvadoran government employed death squads to kill and terrorize everyone from poor farmers to nuns to students. Maria survived and fled the country for Los Angeles, where today she is still a passionate fighter for social justice.

All photos by Houda Lazrak

Note: Hailed in a range of media from WideWalls to the Huffington Post to the New York Times, our Street Art NYC App is now available for Android devices here.

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