Aug 27, 2009 0
Cordoba, ARG






The wave of protest during the Iranian election was an undeniable media phenomenon, with twitterites worldwide tinting their icons green in a show of solidarity and millions following the events via up-to-the-second citizen reportage. But after a few weeks, foreign interest declined, twits shifting to celebrity death, causing Iran’s struggle for liberty to drop off the pop-radar. Now members of the opposition have been rounded up and either jailed without charge or put on trial to be made example of – a depressing defeat for such a bombastic movement that saw an entire generation of young Iranians risk their skin to protest an archaic regime’s dubious election. But if one were to predict the near future of Iranian democracy, it seems foolish not to err on the side of the progressives. Iran’s median age is 26, which is incredibly young and considering its status as a “nation of bloggers” it’s only a matter of time before new ideas displace the old.
In Argentina, a similar scenario has developed. Following decades of military rule, the demographic scales have also tipped in favour of youth and given birth to the next generation of cultural revolutionaries. And much like Iranian bloggers, young Argentines have embraced new mediums in order to upset the set-up. But to understand Argentina’s cultural dynamic, it’s important to consider the historic context: From 1976 to 1983 Argentina was governed by a fascist junta that kidnapped and disposed of anyone with an opinion that conflicted with the regime, roughly 30,000 dissidents “disappearing” during their rule. In 2001, the country experienced a complete economic collapse, culminating in a series of riots that eventually toppled the government.
This history of conflict and protest has created a social atmosphere that is conducive to inspired political expression. While the idea of “revolution” will get you scoffed at in most North American galleries, Argentines, like Iranians, still have the heart and conviction needed to challenge one’s political situation. And so it’s natural that they would gravitate towards graffiti – an inherently political artform.
The press has said much about street art in Buenos Aires, a city that’s been dripping in stencil paint for a while now, but a just few hours inland is Cordoba – An explosively creative city of 1.5 million that is coming up quick. Logos, a graf-writer, designer and member of the city’s DIY media, has been documenting his work and Cordoba’s street culture for past year on his flickr.
PBLKS: What’s going on in Cordoba?
Logos: Che Guevara´s revolutionary idealism is alive and well in his hometown province of Cordoba. No one is in control. Everything is up for grabs.
PBLKS: Buenos Aires gets most of the press when people talk about Argentina, so how does Cordoba differ from the capital?
Logos: Cordoba is much smaller and less chaotic than Buenos Aires. Also, it’s a university town, and in the middle of the city there are 100,000 students (which come from all over Argentina) that live in a neighborhood called “Nueva Cordoba”, pretty great spot.
PBLKS: There seems to be a huge amount of amazing work coming out of Argentina recently, is there something special going on?
Logos: Yeah, like i said before everything is up for grabs. After the dictatorship , the total economic collapses every 10 years, the corruption, the xenophobia, etc ,etc, you’re left with everything being on the line all the time. Nothing is locked down.























































