A few days ago we did a survey on our Instagram account asking our followers which is, in their opinion, the perfect city to paint graffiti. Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, Rome, Hamburg, Melbourne, Dortmund, Las Vegas and even Murcia were some of the suggestions we got, and each city has its own characteristics that make it special. We have selected the nine most cities that got the most mentions, with an MTN World Wildcard occupying the tenth position. Check out the results of our survey right here:
1-BERLIN
It was clear that the German capital was going to be on the podium in the ranking. The second largest city in Europe has a historic graffiti scene that, although quite hermetic compared to other cities, is responsible for the city showing a social tolerance towards graffiti that we do not see in other western European cities. This means that in addition to walls, in Berlin we can see that the intensive street bombing spreads throughout the city in all possible formats: tags, throw-ups, silver, pieces, heights, roads … All this, together with a A versatile suburban network and an indigenous train circuit such as the S-Bahn, make this metropolis an ideal setting for any writer, whatever their modality.
MTN dealer: Graffiti Box, Writers Corner, Overkill,Wildstyleshop, Take 12, Hip Hop Cave, Ready 2 Paint Store
2-NEW YORK
Just because it is the original cradle of graffiti, New York is the place of pilgrimage for any self-respecting writer. Although its laws against graffiti are more ferocious than in other cities, graffiti is part of the DNA of the Big Apple. So in addition to being the fundamental place to relive the original history of graffiti, we will also find a way to fit our piece into the wall on duty or find our place in the streets with the world’s top bombers. As the icing on the cake, the subway system that spawned this movement, while currently under close scrutiny, remains passable to any intrepid train writer.
MTN dealer: Montana Shop NYC.
3-BARCELONA
It is difficult to talk about our city in an objective way. But the truth is that it is one of the most attractive places for the young tourist, so the leisure offers it presents perfectly match the interests of graffiti writers. A welcoming climate, beach, mountains, many legal walls, an accessible metro system and painted running trains alongside a vibrant nightlife scene make the Catalan capital a must-see for all European and overseas writers. It is also one of the few cities in the world that has a ghetto as its central neighborhood: the Raval, with the facilities to bomb it that this implies.
MTN dealer: Mtn Shop Barcelona.
4-SÃO PAULO
We could say that São Paulo is the Berlin of Latin America. A huge city infested with graffiti, forced to coexist in scrupulous respect with its native cousin, the pixaçao. This respect means that street interventions, whatever their type, have a long duration, accompanied by a social tolerance that is typical of Latin American cities. The size and profile of the city make this a playing field full of all kinds of surfaces and screens, among which the subway and trains are the most difficult.
MTN Dealer: Montana Shop São Paolo.
5-PARIS
If Berlin is the European capital of graffiti, Paris is behind. Proportional to its enormous size, we find in it an extensive graffiti scene that makes the movement more than a tradition, a religion. This is reflected in the orthodox attitude that many of its writers champion: from staunch territoriality to an obsession with discretion and even sectarianism are some of the most normalized attitudes in what is called Panama. Perhaps that is why this city has spawned some of the most important European graffiti writers, such as Bando, O’Clock, Trane, Azyle, Horphe … or groups like GT, SDK, UV-TPK, PAL …
MTN Dealer: Sprayer.
6-VALPARAÍSO
100 km from Santiago we find the city of Valparaíso. Its own name indicates it to us: it is the paradise of Chilean writers. A city full of activity and with great acceptance of artistic interventions in which, of course, graffiti has taken over the streets. In addition, the city has its own railway system in which, from time to time, the most daring writers execute the technique of “leverzo”. Beach, party, alcohol and painting facilities … a magnet for writers from other urban centers.
MTN Dealer: N2N Shop.
7-ATHENS
Berlin in miniature but with a Mediterranean climate. It is the first thing that comes to mind if we think of Athens, another of the places where graffiti is present on all the streets of the city. In this specific case, even in the subway since line 1 of the suburban of the Greek capital circulates completely bombed. If the city is already invaded by graffiti, its central neighborhood Exharcheia is even more out of control thanks to the strong local anti-establishment movement.
MTN Dealers: Trackside, Revolt.
8-BUENOS AIRES
As in other places in Latin America, graffiti on the street is not officially prohibited and writers are considered as street artists in the eyes of the ordinary citizen. A huge booming scene, with great activity, has a size proportional to that of this cosmopolitan city, one of the largest in the world. In addition, the city of Baires boasts the oldest subway system in Latin America which, despite its difficulty, offers all kinds of subway car models, as well as interurban communication that connects high-contrast areas.
MTN Dealer: True Colors.
9-MARSEILLE
The Mediterranean coast is home to another gem that becomes part of this classification… it is Marseille. Another destination where the good weather and the beach become the ideal complement to the “graffiti” activity. With a central neighborhood full of life, a subway system of low difficulty and trains with pieces that circulate for days, they are once again the preferred conditions to consider a city as the perfect place to paint graffiti. And in the case of Marseille we also find that endearing aesthetic atmosphere typical of French cities.
MTN Dealer: Montana Shop Marseille
10-BASEL
The country of chocolate, knives, watches and black money also has a handful of cities in which the graffiti scene develops in a very interesting way, such as Bern or Geneva. But we have decided to add Basel to this list for its train tracks. A very important part of the European wildstyle has been written on the walls that run along the city’s railway circuit, which may even preserve the pieces of the legendary Dare to this day. It is the most impressive illegal Hall of Fame that we can visit, framed in the idyllic experience of Swiss daily life. It is worth seeing, even once in a lifetime.
MTN dealer: Lay Up
A few days ago we did a survey on our Instagram account asking our followers which is, in their opinion, the perfect city to paint graffiti. Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, Rome, Hamburg, Melbourne, Dortmund, Las Vegas and even Murcia were some of the suggestions we got, and each city has its own characteristics that make it special. We have selected the nine most cities that got the most mentions, with an MTN World Wildcard occupying the tenth position. Check out the results of our survey right here:
1-BERLIN
It was clear that the German capital was going to be on the podium in the ranking. The second largest city in Europe has a historic graffiti scene that, although quite hermetic compared to other cities, is responsible for the city showing a social tolerance towards graffiti that we do not see in other western European cities. This means that in addition to walls, in Berlin we can see that the intensive street bombing spreads throughout the city in all possible formats: tags, throw-ups, silver, pieces, heights, roads … All this, together with a A versatile suburban network and an indigenous train circuit such as the S-Bahn, make this metropolis an ideal setting for any writer, whatever their modality.
MTN dealer: Graffiti Box, Writers Corner, Overkill,Wildstyleshop, Take 12, Hip Hop Cave, Ready 2 Paint Store
2-NEW YORK
Just because it is the original cradle of graffiti, New York is the place of pilgrimage for any self-respecting writer. Although its laws against graffiti are more ferocious than in other cities, graffiti is part of the DNA of the Big Apple. So in addition to being the fundamental place to relive the original history of graffiti, we will also find a way to fit our piece into the wall on duty or find our place in the streets with the world’s top bombers. As the icing on the cake, the subway system that spawned this movement, while currently under close scrutiny, remains passable to any intrepid train writer.
MTN dealer: Montana Shop NYC.
3-BARCELONA
It is difficult to talk about our city in an objective way. But the truth is that it is one of the most attractive places for the young tourist, so the leisure offers it presents perfectly match the interests of graffiti writers. A welcoming climate, beach, mountains, many legal walls, an accessible metro system and painted running trains alongside a vibrant nightlife scene make the Catalan capital a must-see for all European and overseas writers. It is also one of the few cities in the world that has a ghetto as its central neighborhood: the Raval, with the facilities to bomb it that this implies.
MTN dealer: Mtn Shop Barcelona.
4-SÃO PAULO
We could say that São Paulo is the Berlin of Latin America. A huge city infested with graffiti, forced to coexist in scrupulous respect with its native cousin, the pixaçao. This respect means that street interventions, whatever their type, have a long duration, accompanied by a social tolerance that is typical of Latin American cities. The size and profile of the city make this a playing field full of all kinds of surfaces and screens, among which the subway and trains are the most difficult.
MTN Dealer: Montana Shop São Paolo.
5-PARIS
If Berlin is the European capital of graffiti, Paris is behind. Proportional to its enormous size, we find in it an extensive graffiti scene that makes the movement more than a tradition, a religion. This is reflected in the orthodox attitude that many of its writers champion: from staunch territoriality to an obsession with discretion and even sectarianism are some of the most normalized attitudes in what is called Panama. Perhaps that is why this city has spawned some of the most important European graffiti writers, such as Bando, O’Clock, Trane, Azyle, Horphe … or groups like GT, SDK, UV-TPK, PAL …
MTN Dealer: Sprayer.
6-VALPARAÍSO
100 km from Santiago we find the city of Valparaíso. Its own name indicates it to us: it is the paradise of Chilean writers. A city full of activity and with great acceptance of artistic interventions in which, of course, graffiti has taken over the streets. In addition, the city has its own railway system in which, from time to time, the most daring writers execute the technique of “leverzo”. Beach, party, alcohol and painting facilities … a magnet for writers from other urban centers.
MTN Dealer: N2N Shop.
7-ATHENS
Berlin in miniature but with a Mediterranean climate. It is the first thing that comes to mind if we think of Athens, another of the places where graffiti is present on all the streets of the city. In this specific case, even in the subway since line 1 of the suburban of the Greek capital circulates completely bombed. If the city is already invaded by graffiti, its central neighborhood Exharcheia is even more out of control thanks to the strong local anti-establishment movement.
MTN Dealers: Trackside, Revolt.
8-BUENOS AIRES
As in other places in Latin America, graffiti on the street is not officially prohibited and writers are considered as street artists in the eyes of the ordinary citizen. A huge booming scene, with great activity, has a size proportional to that of this cosmopolitan city, one of the largest in the world. In addition, the city of Baires boasts the oldest subway system in Latin America which, despite its difficulty, offers all kinds of subway car models, as well as interurban communication that connects high-contrast areas.
MTN Dealer: True Colors.
9-MARSEILLE
The Mediterranean coast is home to another gem that becomes part of this classification… it is Marseille. Another destination where the good weather and the beach become the ideal complement to the “graffiti” activity. With a central neighborhood full of life, a subway system of low difficulty and trains with pieces that circulate for days, they are once again the preferred conditions to consider a city as the perfect place to paint graffiti. And in the case of Marseille we also find that endearing aesthetic atmosphere typical of French cities.
MTN Dealer: Montana Shop Marseille
10-BASEL
The country of chocolate, knives, watches and black money also has a handful of cities in which the graffiti scene develops in a very interesting way, such as Bern or Geneva. But we have decided to add Basel to this list for its train tracks. A very important part of the European wildstyle has been written on the walls that run along the city’s railway circuit, which may even preserve the pieces of the legendary Dare to this day. It is the most impressive illegal Hall of Fame that we can visit, framed in the idyllic experience of Swiss daily life. It is worth seeing, even once in a lifetime.
MTN dealer: Lay Up
2 What do you think?
Add a comment