The Colorful Street Art in São Paulo, Brazil

The street art in São Paulo is one of the best things to do in this overwhelmingly huge city. São Paulo, Brazil is a crazy place, one of the largest cities in the world, in fact, and my husband’s hometown. During our annual trip to Brazil to visit family, I always enjoy the variety of things to do in São Paulo, especially the city’s culture and art scene.

But upon arriving in São Paulo, the amount of painting on the walls is overwhelming — graffiti is all over garage doors, house facades, and business fronts, and most of it is honestly an eyesore. But you’ll soon also be struck by the beautiful street art in São Paulo. It’s common to spot paintings like this one on street corners while waiting at a red light:

The detail is stunning, isn’t it?

Street art in São Paulo

The growing popularity of street art in cities around the world has followed the transformation of what used to be considered “graffiti” into a type of art that’s both respected and enjoyed. In São Paulo, murals decorate sides of buildings as well as store fronts and even facades of houses. It transforms what could be a monotonous sea of off-white high rise apartment buildings and gray, worn-down shop fronts into a vibrant, colorful, and funky megalopolis.

São Paulo, Brazil, has one of the world’s best cities for street art thanks in part to an active counterculture and talented street artists like Os Gêmeos.

Read more: The Museum of Art in São Paulo

Os Gêmeos

When in São Paulo, you can’t miss the work of Os Gêmeos, Brazil’s best known street artists. They’re twins from São Paulo who have added art works to cities around the world. Their work is easily recognizable as it usually includes distinctive yellow faces, a rainbow of bright colors and surreal images. They are invited to paint places legally and, for example, received a commission to paint a mural on the wall of the Modern Art Museum of São Paulo in Parque Ibirapuera.

Read more: Brazil Travel Tips

The Vila Madalena Neighborhood

Probably the best part of the city to see street art is the funky neighborhood of Vila Madalena, where you can come upon an image with a message, like this one: “There are things that only silence tells us.”

Read more: Where to see the art of Brazil

Beco do Batman

After many trips to São Paulo, I finally made it to Beco do Batman (Batman’s Alley), a small winding street completely covered in art. The sheer number of paintings make it one of the best places to see street art in São Paulo.

The art covers the houses that line the alleyway.

We were fortunate to see artists in the process of making a new mural:

If you go:

Be aware that Beco do Batman is an area that can easily flood. São Paulo gets a lot of afternoon thunderstorms in the summer, and Beco do Batman is a very low point in the city, so even when it’s raining in another part of the city, Beco do Batman can fill with water quickly. Some men that we met that day told us that the day before, the street had flooded very quickly and the water came up to their waists.

This is also a place to watch your valuables and avoid at night.

Beco do Batman is located in Vila Madalena, a neighborhood full of hip bars and restaurants. Just up the street is Banana Verde, a nice vegetarian restaurant.

Have you seen the street art in São Paulo? Where have you seen impressive street art?