Calle Libre - graffiti & street art in Latin America

a film by Jakob Kattner

26-year-old Jakob Kattner wants to paint a vivant picture of today´s street art and graffiti scene in various countries of latin america (Guatemala, Colombia, Argentina, El Salvador, Chile, Brasil, Mexico) and is therefore spending one year in the continent to visit artists, individuals, groups and collectives to show their ways of self-expression and identity formation.

At a time where Graffiti and Street Art has found its way to Nike commercials and the mainstream media, reduced to advertisement campaigns and multi-national companies, Jakob Kattner tries to deconstruct the exploitation of this unique artform by showing individuals and groups that are dealing with their very own way of art production.

In this particular documentary Latin American artists show why, how, where and under what circumstances they work. The viewer is invited to follow the artists work and experience their socio-economic surroundings.

Kattner accompanies the artists with his handheld camera, whose mobility allows him access to even the most intimate spaces. Streets, narrow staircases, hallways, backyards, public spaces, cars, murals or concrete will be a important parts of the portrayed regions and urban structures.

The film will feature artists such as: Onesto, Titi Freak, Stinkfish, Aeon, Bastardilla, CHU, Buke, Stefan Benchoam and many more.

While shooting Kattner will focus on the close-up and portrait, as he takes the film medium back to its roots with his handhelt style and raw pictorial poetry.

The director will gather some of the most important and relevant artists of today´s Latin American street-art and urban-art scene in special places of their urban surroundings.

The artists talk about their methods, strategies and their development of approach to art.

Pictures, artists, symbols and murals from different worlds all merging together in Kattner´s magic suitcase.

Director's statement:
„In this particular project I visit and accompany urban- and street artists, groups and individuals. I want to reflect on their cultural / artistic strategies and methods, their motivation, socio-economic surroundings and post colonial heritage resp. their way of dealing with it.

The idea is to follow the artists in their every-day routine, document how, where and under what conditions they are working. Therefore I have to become a part of their every-day life. I intend to paint a picture of their surroundings and their working methods.

Latin America is stamped with a history of 400 years of exploitation, getting westernized and indoctrinated by the U.S and Europe and slowly losing their own cultural and artistic identity.

I want to depict how artists decontextualize, interfere, irritate and juxtapose known symbols, signs and images, giving them a new sense and meaning."