Kennedy Murals: Urban Art Route in 5 Blocks

Kennedy is not just a neighborhood: it is a giant canvas

If you think urban art in Bogotá is limited to La Candelaria or the walls of the Bronx Distrito Creativo, you are missing out on the city's true open-air gallery. In Kennedy, Bogotá's most populous locality, graffiti is not an ornament: it is a language. It is the way this community, born from land invasions and housing struggles in the 1960s, decided to tell its story without asking permission.

Let me suggest something different. Forget about air-conditioned museums. Here, the museum smells like cigarette smoke, freshly fried empanadas, and spray paint. As of August 2026, the Kennedy mural route remains one of the city's worst-kept secrets. And the best part: you can explore it in just 5 blocks.

Why Kennedy and why now?

To understand the magnitude of this, we need to rewind a bit. Kennedy was a pioneer in urban art festivals in Bogotá. Before the District organized massive events in downtown, graffiti meetups were already happening here on the walls of the Kennedy Public Library and along the sides of Parque de la Amistad. That is no coincidence. This locality has an impressive tradition of community organizing, inherited from the working groups of the 1970s. When young people had no sports courts or stages, they took to the walls.

Today, the route I am about to describe is the result of over 15 years of cultural management led by collectives like La Junta del Barrio and Pura Sangre Crew. It is not an official tourist circuit, which is its greatest charm. It is a living route: the murals change, get painted over, and are renewed. What you see today may not be there in a month. That is exactly what makes the visit worthwhile.

The area I will show you is concentrated between Carrera 80 with Calle 12 and Carrera 78B with Calle 12B, right around Parque de la Amistad. These are five blocks where the density of artworks per square meter is probably the highest in Bogotá.

Mental map of the route: the 7 must-see spots

You do not need GPS. Here is the route in logical order, walking from east to west, starting at the library.

Spot 1: The wall of the Kennedy Public Library

Address: Carrera 79A # 21-22 (south side of the building). This is the starting point. The first muralism festivals were held here in the 2000s. The main wall features a piece by Stinkfish, one of the most internationally recognized Colombian street artists. His style is unmistakable: portraits with saturated colors and psychedelic patterns. The current piece (renovated in 2024) depicts a girl from the neighborhood wearing a flower crown. It is the icon of the route.

Spot 2: The alley of the cats

Between Carrera 79A and Carrera 79B, along Calle 12B, there is a pedestrian passage about 50 meters long. They call it "the alley of the cats" because in 2021 a collective of women artists painted a series of felines inspired by Andean mythology. Each cat represents a social issue: the black cat is gender violence, the red cat is drug use, the golden cat is resistance. It is the most photogenic spot on the entire route, especially at 4 p.m. when the sun hits directly.

Spot 3: The north side of Parque de la Amistad

The park itself is huge, but the wall facing Calle 12 is the most important. There is a collaborative piece over 30 meters long painted by guest artists from Mexico and Argentina during the "Kennedy al Aerosol" festival in 2023. The theme is Latin American migration. Look for the section with a hummingbird and a train: that was painted by Dex, a local graffiti artist with 20 years in the game.

Spot 4: The facade of the CAI de la Amistad

Yes, you read that right. The neighborhood police station has one of the most impressive murals on the route. In 2022, the Community Action Board negotiated with the police to allow the facade to be intervened. The result was a piece by artist Guache (also known as DJ Lu), which blends pre-Columbian aesthetics with hip-hop. It is the only police station in Bogotá with a mural of that magnitude. Worth a photo, but with respect. Do not climb onto the planters.

Spot 5: The Sena passage

Behind the SENA campus in Kennedy, along Carrera 78C, there is a passage that feels like a time tunnel. Here the murals are rawer, more "bombing" than "muralism." That is, letters, tags, and New York-style pieces. This is the favorite spot for urban fashion photographers. The contrast between gray concrete and neon colors is brutal. Note: it is a passage with little pedestrian traffic, so it is recommended to go in a group or during peak hours (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.).

Spot 6: The women's wall

At Carrera 80 with Calle 12C, there is a wall about 15 meters long that is renewed every year on March 8th. It is a project by the collective Violeta Aerosol, which only invites women and non-binary people to paint. The pieces are of impressive technical quality, focusing on female portraiture and social denunciation. As of August 2026, the current mural depicts a community leader from the neighborhood, doña Rosa Elena, who in the 1980s led the fight for sewage systems in the area.

Spot 7: The corner of political graffiti

To close the route, head to Carrera 80 with Calle 13. This corner is a classic. Here there is no single large piece, but dozens of small interventions layered on top of each other. It is a visual palimpsest: every week someone paints over it. You will find everything from political stencils to stickers from local punk bands. It is the most "alive" spot on the route because it changes constantly. If you want to see art in real time, come on a Saturday morning: there is always someone painting.

The artists behind the walls: voices of the neighborhood

Urban art in Kennedy cannot be understood without its creators. Let me introduce you to three of the most active ones, whom I had the chance to talk to on a rainy afternoon in a makeshift workshop behind SENA.

Dex: "The wall is my diary"

Diego, known in the graffiti world as Dex, is 38 years old and has been painting for 20 years. He started at 16, when his older brother lent him a spray can stolen from a hardware store. "In Kennedy, graffiti was all we had. There was no money for movies or concerts. But the wall was free," he tells me while cleaning his nozzles.

Dex is the author of the hummingbird section on the Parque de la Amistad mural. His process is slow: first he sketches on paper, then projects the image with a video projector, and finally paints. "I do not do bombing (quick tags) anymore. Now I care about the neighborhood people feeling identified. The hummingbird is for my grandmother, who was from Putumayo and always said hummingbirds are messengers of dreams."

His advice for visitors: "Do not come just to take photos. Talk to people. Buy a soda at the corner store. Ask about the history. That is what keeps the neighborhood alive."

Violeta Aerosol: "Here women paint first"

The collective Violeta Aerosol was born in 2018 as a response to the exclusion of women in graffiti events. Its founder, Karol "Kala", 29, says it was tough at first: "They told us women could not handle the grind, that we had no style. Until one day 15 of us got together and painted the whole block in one night. That is when they respected us."

The mural of leader Rosa Elena was Kala's idea. "She is a legend. Without her, this area would not have running water. How could we not paint her on a giant wall?"

Kala recommends visiting the women's wall at the end of the afternoon, when the sun sets behind the CAI and the light turns golden. "It is the best natural filter for photos," she says with a laugh.

El Turko: "Graffiti is an extreme sport"

We could not miss the perspective of the youngest. El Turko is 19 years old and is the neighborhood's new rising star. His specialty is three-dimensional letters, a style that requires millimeter precision. "This is like skateboarding. If you fall, you get back on. Each wall is a new track," he explains.

El Turko is part of the generation that no longer paints just out of rebellion, but as a professional opportunity. He has sold pieces to collectors and has traveled to festivals in Medellín and Buenos Aires. "Kennedy taught me that art can be a trade. My mom no longer scolds me for painting; now she asks me how much I got paid."

His recommendation: "Come with open eyes. It is not all Instagram. Some murals look better from afar, others are best enjoyed up close. Take the time to read the details."

Safety tips and the best time for natural light

Let us be honest: Kennedy is not La Candelaria. It is a working-class neighborhood c