Art takes many forms in Oaxaca. There are artists who make beautiful, everyday things like; pottery, tapetes (woven carpets) or hand carved and painted animals called alebrijes. You will also find murals or graffiti art painted or pasted like posters all over the city. The graffiti in Oaxaca is appreciated and enjoyed as works of art by some people. However, there are also people who do not like it and disagree very strongly that graffiti should be considered an art form.
Unlike graffiti, it is easy to find examples of pottery or the alebrijes in a museum. This helps bring people into agreement about the artistic value of these items. When it comes to street art, it is rare to see it in a museum or art gallery, which adds to the debate over whether graffiti artists are true artists and whether they should be allowed to put their work in spaces where they might not have been given permission to paint.
A positive view of graffiti, or street art, is held by many people in Oaxaca. These images can be highly detailed and very imaginative. They become part of the colorful scene on the streets. In certain neighborhoods, there is so much graffiti, that the street has become a giant, outdoor art gallery.
