Beco do Batman (Batman’s Alley), São Paulo’s Ultra-Graffitied Street

Beco do Batman (Batman's Alley) in São Paulo

photography by: Omri Westmark

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In a city where practically every cranny is dotted with street art, it has become ever more challenging to stand out. Nevertheless, one alleyway in São Paulo's Vila Madalena Neighborhood is apparently in a league of its own. Named after the American superhero, Batman’s Alley offers a breathtaking hodgepodge of intricately painted murals, covering every square inch of its walls.

Up until the 1980’s, the area between Rua Medeiros de Albuquerque and Rua Harmonia Streets in Vila Madalena Neighborhood of São Paulo was merely a nondescript alleyway. Following the sudden appearance of a graffiti work featuring Batman on one of its walls, the street gradually became synonymous with street art.

 

In the years that followed, a group of students from one of São Paulo’s art schools covered the alley with a medley of psychedelic and cubist murals, further cementing its role as an epicenter of quirky street art. Named after the American superhero who starred on its first painting, Beco do Batman is now home to dozens of vividly colorful murals, created by Brazilian and International artists alike.


The works of art across the alley typically do not survive for long as they are incessantly replaced by new murals, often with the permission of the formers’ artists. With an everchanging streetscape, Batman’s Alley never becomes obsolete, offering its visitors a new experience almost every time they opt to come.

 

Every weekend, this pedestrian walkway becomes somewhat crowded with locals as souvenir stalls are installed along the way. The alley is also home to a couple of trendy bars and restaurants, where visitors with exhausted sense of vision can make use of their other senses.