The material is based on a series of interviews with Brazilian artists, art managers and producers during a visit to Brazil as part of the VULICA BRASIL project and the opening of the Institute of Arts and Sustainable Development in Brasilia - federal capital of Brazil .

Any city can be compared to a stage on which social practices are presented. It is the urban public space where the social identity of its citizens is formed and represented. For the democratic development of a society in which there is a place for people with different backgrounds, values and views, it is important that there is a 'stage' where citizens can express their interests and desires regarding public and urban life, governance, unite and create something together. Such a scene can be an urban space, and a way of expression can be street art. This is especially true in modern cities, where private property and capitalist relations exclude people who do not fit in. Some people, and even entire social groups, find themselves under-represented in a new city. They and their cultural heritage simply do not have a place there. So they are looking for a way to express their presence.

Public spaces are places of interaction and interchange, communication and meetings (a street, a square or a park). As public spaces and territories open for all citizens, they are the main source of local identity. A new local identity is being born here, although it does not lose the diversity of the roots on which it is based. However, the general context smooths out the contradictions of little different backgrounds.

In the public space, identity is not only created, but also represented. Here, heterogeneous social groups have the opportunity to openly declare their identity. But at the same time, the city is a space of exclusion and suppression. Therefore, the right to representation has to be constantly defended.

Yuri Lotman calls a city a semiosphere and says that a city is a semiotic mechanism, a reflection and generator of culture. In addition to the historical text in the form of architecture and sculpture, we constantly come into contact with real texts: we read words, expressions, symbols, advertisements, schedules, and various instructions. And in this case, the role of a street artist develops into the role of a co-author of the city, adding cultural codes and visual accents - new meanings on top of an established history. And if we talk about a city as a text, then we mean visual metaphors that help to read it in physical space with all its narratives. The role of an artist, street artist in this context is to be both the author and the translator of the city's text. But artists also act as guides. They build a social bridge between the rich and the poor. And also - a temporal bridge, making references in their works to the roots and taboo themes from the past. Through visual language, they speak of a hidden experience of violence and celebrate indigenous traditions. Speto, well known to Minskers thanks to the mural on Oktyabrskaya, created within the framework of Vulica Brasil, explains the manifestation of the past in modern street art as follows:

Using a new modern visual language, artists talk about this with the younger generation and train them to perceive reality through artistic reflection and rethinking. This is important for many artists. Hyper, a street artist from Belo Horizonte (his mural "Kaapora" one can see in Minsk at Oktyabrskaya street by the river) said the following:

And Gramaloka believes that street art opens a window to a new reality, to a world where modernity and tradition are intertwined. He tells people about their roots:

Street artists strive to offer an alternative to mainstream culture and enable people to get in touch with their heritage - indigenous peoples and their knowledge, spirituality and the power of nature through art:

Street art is almost ubiquitous, but the poorer the area, the more subcultural art forms there are. In favelas, street art is especially welcome. This is where Brazilian artists love to create street art. Many see it as their social mission to open up poor areas, where there are few opportunities, a new look at what surrounds them:

In addition, the favelas have more manifestations of different religions and cultures - a fertile ground for creating street art. By the way, many street artists come from poor areas. For them, this is one of the ways to gain social status.

The role of artists in the development of communities shall not be underestimated. When street art becomes a local landmark, it introduces not only new socio-cultural meanings, but also creates new economic relations, and raises the status of "local heirs of art" - those who live in close proximity to works. For example, in Brazil, artists often practice involving the locals from favelas, more often teenagers, to create collaborative art. In impoverished neighborhoods, Graffiti and Urban Art Mural festivals, such as the festival Meeting of Favela (MOF) in Rio de Janeiro, are being held, bringing together thousands of artists. One of the missions of such events is to emphasize the importance of inclusion, openness, and involvement of the local community in deciding how their city will live and look. It is important not to forget that there is a social contract between locals and artists. Residents are more like co-authors of works than just spectators.

Street art practitioners sometimes become a way to reimagine old buildings that have lost their original purpose. Sometimes there can be a transformed historical building, like Vila Itororo in São Paulo, about which cultural manager and researcher Norton Ficarelli told us:

With the help of murals, installations and illumination of the building, this historic villa has become a home for cultural initiatives. It was not restored, but even without this it became possible to rethink its significance for the local community.

Another example is Conic. It is a cultural cluster located in the center of Brasilia. Previously a commercial object, it has lost its significance, but now it is inhabited by the local creative community. Now cultural events take place here, small shops with custom products have appeared. Not only the content has changed - the buildings themselves have become a canvas for murals of various sizes and a site for various parties. Thanks to this, the space has become comfortable for people looking for alternatives to official culture and they feel there at home. A culture of inclusiveness and equality is at the core of the Conic philosophy. Producerclosely immersed in his work Kaka is, he is also a musician and initiator of various niche movements:

Such transformations of places with the help of modern art practices, street art, and holding festivals are a way to make the city more "your own". And also to make the urban environment a little more similar to Brazilian culture, as the Brazilians themselves see it: spontaneous, natural, vibrant and ever changing.

treet art may attract tourists as much as architecture and museums. Eastside Gallery in Berlin, Lennon Wall in Prague, Oktyabrskaya Street in Minsk - both locals and visitors come to see them. Even cities that cannot boast of medieval architecture or world-famous museums are able to appear on the tourist map of the world thanks to a new heritage – street art. Street art is interesting for tourists because of its versatility - it is both tangible and intangible heritage, which loses its value without interaction with the urban space and spectators. Indeed, in street art, the complexity of the technique and what is depicted are not always important - the main thing is how it will be perceived, what it symbolizes for the community.

Not so long ago, street art stopped being perceived as vandalism and began to be seen as a new form of cultural heritage. Some murals are purposefully preserved, others are documented, archives and street art museums appear, there are even street art collectors. However, by modern standards, street art has been with us for a long time. This phase transition from spontaneous interventions to heritage status is also felt by some Brazilian artists.

When we talk about heritage, it is important to consider the aspect of human interaction with the heritage or the environment through the embodied processes and practices that arise around the heritage site in everyday life. The mural is more than a static artifact. It involves the beholder (passer-by or tursite), forcing him to experience sensory experience: it evokes a personal, emotional reaction. Of course, street art is not the only type of art that interacts with the viewer in this way. However, the viewer interacts with street art in the urban environment, and saturates the experience of being in the city as a tourist, flaneur or a local resident.

Street art balances between tangible and intangible heritage. Both the work itself and practice are of value. The process of creating a work, involving artists and the local community, is often more attractive than the printed image itself. It is not an artifact, but rather an experience of interacting with works of street art and urban space.

The fact that street art is constantly changing, disappearing and reappearing, as if shimmering on the city walls, makes it even more attractive to tourists, because it diversifies the experience of interacting with the city for the locals. Street art is temporary and changeable in nature. This is not a bad thing - not all street art should be preserved. Street art often only works in a specific context, when that context is absent, the artwork loses its meaning and value. This is another factor that makes street art not just a practice for the locals, but a kind of living attraction - it cannot be taken out and exhibited elsewhere - you need to come and not only see, but also "live" this place, this art, immerse yourself in context. It is this kind of complex tourism experience that appeals to more sophisticated travelers who are already fed up with conventional tourist travel and are looking for authenticity rather than postcard views when traveling.

Recently, street art started to be seen as a new form of heritage and appreciated more. What was previously considered vandalism is now perceived as heritage - culturally valuable work that reflects the identity of local residents, their collective memories. At the same time, it is the embodiment of the struggle for the right to representation and the right to be an owner in one's own city or district. Street art is not just an expression. Murals turn nondescript streets into places of power for locals, become a source of pride and a tourist attraction.

The influence of street art on urban life in Brazil is extremely strong, but in Belarus street art is already becoming an important part of the cultural and urban scene. Street art is the embodiment of invisible processes taking place in society. This is a tool for communication about the past and the present, a way to be seen, for some social groups it is an opportunity to arrange a space for themselves. They themselves and the results of their work cannot be simply excluded, so it is important to start developing a strategy thanks to which street art can develop organically and freely, evolving with the city, not conflicting with the historical heritage and private property, but only complementing and emphasizing the authenticity of space in a current historical moment.
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Observations written by

Iryna Lukashenka, an art manager and creative producer of the ARTONIST project

in collaboration with Elisabeth Kovtiak, a researcher of culture and society