Do you like graffiti? Is it an eyesore or art? If you are inclined to think the former, then perhaps a trip to Chile to see the amazing graffiti of Valparaíso, would change your mind!

Valparaíso’s artists have covered, with varying degrees of skill, a huge percentage of the city’s labyrinth of streets. The street art adds to the higgledy-piggledy mish-mash of architecture and it is possible to walk the same street several times, always seeing something new. The graffiti seems to keep the city alive and in a constant state of change. We saw new work crop up overnight and also passed an artist and his lookout creating a new piece in an alleyway.

So, is all this graffiti legal? Graffiti used to be an illegal form of social commentary and protest during the Pinochet years. Valparaíso’s authorities have since embraced street art as long as it is not offensive, promotes creativity and adds something to the urban area. There are even competitions for the best work. Home/business owners can commission artists to create works on their walls but some artists prefer to produce their art in a more clandestine and temporary fashion.

Here is a selection of our favourite pieces, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.