ARTICLES

At Paint the Change, we are dedicated to raising awareness and fostering dialogue around the role of public art in promoting social justice. As part of this mission, we've launched a series of articles highlighting street art from around the world, exploring the artists and communities behind it, and examining its broader societal impact.

How WOM Collective Blends Nature, Community, and Female Empowerment

Founded in 2019 by ELNO, Lours, Carleen De Sözer, and Raquel Natalicchio, WOM Collective aims to inspire fellow women in public arts. Street art especially is a male-dominated field. The nature of street art means that artists typically go out to create by themselves, at night, in public spaces. For obvious reasons, women may not feel safe doing this. This creates significant barriers to women’s participation in street art. WOM Collective makes this world more welcoming to female artists by building spaces for creative women to come together.

Celebrating African Artists for Black History Month and Beyond

October marks the UK’s celebration of Black History Month. While Paint the Change is a London-based organization, we work around the world to link our projects in global solidarity with others. We strongly believe that highlighting voices from the global majority is critical to celebrating our differences and creating greater understanding. This month, we’d like to highlight African artists using their talents to speak about social issues. These artists explore different questions and challenges through their work, imagining new possibilities.

Communities as Co-Creators: Telling Stories with Alexandre Keto

Alexandre Keto, a Brazilian street artist, collaborated with Paint the Change on the #EducationIsNotACrime campaign, highlighting the Baha’i minority's exclusion from higher education in Iran. His mural, Mother With Children, is on display in New York. We caught up with Keto to learn more about his recent work which focuses on community-centered art. For his latest project, ‘Obra de Arte,’ he works in Brazilian favelas to create ‘art with a purpose.’ Through this, he tells local stories through art and ensures it is also functionally useful.

The Artivist Network: Bridging the Gap Between Art and Advocacy

Daniel Rupazow is part of The Artivist Network, a collective of arts activists and facilitators putting creativity into advocates' toolboxes. Their focus on art supporting climate justice helps the environmental movement reach new communities. We spoke with Daniel during an especially busy season— The Artivist Network is planning actions for COP 29 in Azerbaijan and has just released a Tactics Manual on advocacy around toxic bonds.

Frogs, Transformation, and Social Justice: Apolo Torres’ Art for Change

Apolo Torres (@apolotorres) is a Brazilian street artist who worked with Paint the Change in 2016, on the #EducationIsNotACrime  project, which raised awareness of the denial of education to the Baha’i religious minority in Iran. His mural depicting a young girl reaching for knowledge still stands in São Paolo. Since then, his career has reached new heights, with his work bringing attention to social justice issues in Brazil and around the world. We caught up with him to chat about his current projects, areas of interest, and experiences as someone working in public art.

The Latinx Roots of Public Art

Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15–October 15 and is celebrated in many countries around the world, including the U.S. and the U.K. According to the 2021 Census, over a quarter of a million Latinos live in the UK, comprising the eighth biggest ethnic group born outside of the UK in London. Despite this, there is not even a box to describe Latinidad on its demographic forms. As an international Latina student, I have scrolled and scrolled through the available options to find something that describes me, only to resign myself to selecting the anonymity of “other ethnic group.”