Discovering São Paulo through its street art in Vila Madalena
On a recent 36-hour stopover in São Paulo, I learned about Beco do Batman from a Brazilian friend that lives there. Beco de Batman is a cobblestone alleyway filled with vibrant street art in a Vila Madalena neighbourhood. São Paulo has a lot of beautiful street art, but the largest concentration of it is found here and every bit of wall space is covered.
It was given the name Batman’s alley when a single drawing appeared, of Batman, in the 1980s. Afterwards, art students and artists filled the walls. Though the original Batman piece no longer appears on one of the walls, a Batman logo appears in a window of a building near the small parking area.
You can find this alley around Rua Gonçalo Afonso and Rua Medeiros de Albuquerque. It’s about a 15-20 minute taxi ride from Avenida Paulista, the area I stayed in. There are many restaurants and shops in Vila Madalena so spending a day in this area is well worth your time. The work changes so frequently that it is considered an open-air gallery and some local residents visit on multiple occasions a year.
Some of my favourite pieces:
