La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina 🇦🇷
Color BA
Curated by Collage Lab
“Herencia de Buenos Aires” series
Acrylic paint and synthetic enamel on concrete wall and metal curtain
13 x 9 m
2016
Photos by Julieta Sarraf
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La Boca, one of the oldest neighborhoods, is located in the port, where the first Buenos Aires was founded in the 16th century. In the late 19th century the River Plate became one of the most important gateways into the American continent, welcoming a large wave of europeans and nearby countries. Different cultures settled in the area, mainly from cities like Génova, Italy and Galicia, Spain. The neighborhood was built out with metal, wood, leftover paint from the ships and later on with concrete and cement, leading to different architecture styles such as tenement houses or typical Buenos Aires ornamentations and moldings.
Club Atlético Boca Juniors was founded on April 3, 1905 and nicknamed “Xeneizes”, whose etymology comes from the word “genovese”. According to the legend, the colors were chosen by Juan Carlos Brichetto, one of the port bridges operator. He proposed to adopt the colors of the flag of the first ship that appeared the next morning. A swedish flag was waving in the first ship he saw, therefore blue and yellow gave identity to the football club.
This house was built in 1895 by genoveses. They founded a bakery with a 7 m diameter oven in the ground floor, nowadays still working. The current owners are descendents from a galician family that arrived to the country in the 40´s.
This artwork is an attempt to refresh and reinforce the history and identity of the neighborhood in a period of urban renewal. The shields represent the neighborhood of La Boca, the city of Génova, the Autonomous Community of Galicia, the Club Atlético Boca Juniors and the flag represents Sweden.