When the Mexican government attempted to violently quell the teacher's union's demonstrations in Oaxaca in June of 2006, artists were quick to protest. Graffiti covered government buildings, and both street and fine artists quickly formed an organization called the Assembly of the Artists of the Revolution of Oaxaca, or ASARO. Some participants created stencils and posters that are still sold in Oaxaca's main square; they reappear on the walls of the city whenever a march is imminent.
In the streets of modern Mexico, the stenciled image has become a ubiquitous sight and is now a thriving form of popular art, used for non-political purposes as well as for protest. Mexico: Stencil is the first international publication on this subject. The product of 10 years of research conducted throughout the country, its content benefits from commentary by the artists themselves, who contribute background information and documentation for this project. Consistent with the spirit of its subject, however, this volume respects the anonymity of the many creators who figure in it, offering instead a vision of the streets as they might be observed by any visually aware pedestrian in contemporary Mexico.
In the streets of modern Mexico, the stenciled image has become a ubiquitous sight and is now a thriving form of popular art, used for non-political purposes as well as for protest. Mexico: Stencil is the first international publication on this subject. The product of 10 years of research conducted throughout the country, its content benefits from commentary by the artists themselves, who contribute background information and documentation for this project. Consistent with the spirit of its subject, however, this volume respects the anonymity of the many creators who figure in it, offering instead a vision of the streets as they might be observed by any visually aware pedestrian in contemporary Mexico.
