Território usado, cultura popular e resistência: análise do circuito graffiti em São Luís-MA

Abstract

This work was produced from admiration for and prior knowledge about Graffiti practices in the city of São Luís, capital of Maranhão. In it, we seek to understand the motivations of the agents – Graffiti artists – in using the city’s surfaces, and how such practices are important for the re-signification of the urban landscape and spaces of São Luís. Graffiti is a visual artistic expression in motion and has a direct relationship with individuals and the city’s urban dynamics, capable of shaping multiple perceptions and relationships within the territory, and is embedded in the landscape with the power to transform it. We start from the methodological premise of the concept of “used territory” and, through fieldwork and literature review, we analyze the segregating urbanization process of São Luís via this accessible and politicized form of urban art. Our interpretation proposes understanding Graffiti as a symbolic and material appropriation of urban space, conveying different messages to the population of São Luís, thus revealing the various forces that shape the territory.