It might seem counterintuitive to photograph street art in black and white, but I decided to after walking around Lima’s hip Barranco district where murals on a huge scale are everywhere. The reason? I figured that by removing the bright colours – and this whole area is characterised by colour, from the painted buildings to the yellow taxis and green palms and grey-blue Pacific Ocean at its border – I might capture something beyond the immediate assault on the senses.
Barranco is an area of Lima full of art galleries, stores selling Peruvian-made objects, bars, cafés and restaurants. The buildings are old and elegant but the mood here is modern and busy and the street art is part of that contemporary spirit. Much of it is located around the so-called “bridge of sighs” (Puente de los Suspiros), a wooden pedestrian structure which dates back to 14 February,1876, when it was inaugurated, though the current one is the result of several rebuilds (the original was destroyed in 1881 in the War of the Pacific). The bridge has become a symbol of Barranco and gets its name from the sighing lovers who visit. It is said that if you can cross the bridge while holding your breath, your wish will come true.
The juxtaposition of this old simple wooden overpass with the street art all around it creates a sense of worlds and histories colliding, and contributes to the bohemian vibe of Barranco.
Without the distraction of the vibrant colours, the street art of this district looks somehow stranger and more mysterious. And the way the walls it sits on often mark out bold lines creates a sense of a magical space, where a graphic language has become integrated into the urban landscape.
If you go to Lima, do check out Barranco and its murals. They apparently change, so what you see here may no longer be there if you visit, but new images will be. Because using the streets as an evolving canvas seems to be baked into the culture of this very special place.
Peter Howarth has been the style director of British GQ and the editor of Arena, British Esquire and Man About Town. He is the co-founder and CEO of London creative agency SHOW and managing director of Secret Trips
