Street Art vs. Institutional Art: The Cultural Duel Defining Cartagena's Visual Identity in 2026

The art map they don't sell you: Official murals vs. unauthorized graffiti

If you arrive in Cartagena expecting only the classic colonial landscape and turquoise sea, you're in for a surprise. The city is full of paint: from the giant, colorful murals you find in Getsemaní to the tags and signatures that appear out of nowhere on the facades of La Matuna. But not all the street art you see is welcome. There is a very thin line between what the government and hotels pay for to beautify, and what local artists paint without asking permission.

In May 2026, this tension is more alive than ever. On one hand, the Mayor's Office has commissioned enormous murals in the Pie de la Popa sector, right next to the hill, with images of the Virgin of Carmen and idyllic landscapes. On the other hand, in La Matuna, the neighborhood of office buildings and popular commerce, graffiti artists risk the night to leave their signatures and pieces on the walls of banks and closed shops. The difference is abysmal: the former have permits, budgets, and tourist visibility; the latter are illegal, ephemeral, and often erased within days.

Fun fact: On the corner of Carrera 3 and Calle 31, in La Matuna, there is a wall that has been repainted more than 15 times in the last two years. Every time the police cover it in white, the next day it dawns with new graffiti. Locals already call it "the wall of resistance."

Comparative table: Street art vs. Institutional art in Cartagena

To give you a quick idea of the differences, here is a direct comparison between the two faces of visual art in the city:

• Funding: Authentic street art (illegal graffiti) is financed from the artists' own pockets or by independent collectives. Institutional art (commissioned murals, galleries) receives money from the Mayor's Office, the Ministry of Culture, or private brands.
• Permits: Unauthorized graffiti is illegal and can result in fines or even legal proceedings. Institutional murals have contracts, insurance, and approval from the Urban Curatorship.
• Duration: A spontaneous graffiti can last from a few hours to a couple of months before being erased. An official mural usually lasts for years, with maintenance included.
• Access: Street art is free and on public roads, but sometimes in less safe areas. Institutional art is in galleries with opening hours and sometimes an entrance fee.
• Authenticity: Street artists often express social or political criticism, or simply their identity, without filters. Institutional artists must negotiate their message with sponsors.
• Tourist visibility: The Getsemaní murals appear in all travel guides. The graffiti in San Francisco is almost unknown outside the local circuit.

Galleries vs. walls: The Museum of Modern Art and La Escalera against the street

If you seriously like art, you'll definitely want to visit the Museum of Modern Art of Cartagena, in Plaza de San Pedro Claver. There you find works by established artists, with impeccable curation and air conditioning. The entrance fee is around $15,000 COP for adults (reference price for May 2026). But beware: the museum has a complicated relationship with street art. In 2024 they held a temporary graffiti exhibition, but many local artists felt they were used to "look cool" without being paid well or given real credit.

On the other side is La Escalera, an independent gallery in the San Diego neighborhood that has seriously bet on urban art. They have exhibited several of the city's most respected graffiti artists, and sometimes organize interventions on the building's facade. The atmosphere is more relaxed, less formal, and the prices of the works are more accessible (from $200,000 COP). But La Escalera is still a gallery, with office hours and a door that closes.

On the street, meanwhile, there are no schedules or curators. In the El Espinal sector, near the market, there is a long wall that local artists have turned into a rotating open-air gallery. Each month there are new pieces, and there is no catalog or price list. It's just art for art's sake, or sometimes commissioned by a neighbor who wants to cover an ugly wall.

The conflict of artistic gentrification: Getsemaní murals vs. boutique hotels

Getsemaní is the most emblematic case of how street art becomes a victim of its own success. Ten years ago, this neighborhood was a popular place, with old houses and quiet streets. Local artists started painting murals on the facades, and little by little the neighborhood became a magnet for tourists. Today, Getsemaní is full of hostels, expensive restaurants, and boutique hotels that have bought the properties.

The problem is that these hotels, when remodeling, are erasing the original murals. On Calle de la Media Luna, for example, there was a huge mural of a golden fish made by the collective Cartagena Bajo Tierra. In January 2026, the hotel that bought that facade painted it white to put its logo. The community protested, but the owner argued it was his property and the mural had no permit.

This has generated a strong debate: is street art the artist's or the wall owner's? Should murals that attract tourism be protected by law? For now, the answer is that the Mayor's Office does not have clear regulations to protect urban art, and hotels continue to erase what bothers them. Artists, meanwhile, have started painting in less touristy areas, like San Francisco and El Espinal, where homeowners give them permission in exchange for keeping the walls maintained.

Artists you should know: 3 authentic graffiti artists and 3 gallery artists

Graffiti artists outside the tourist circuit

If you want to see real street art, without filters or sponsors, look for these three:

• Kronos: An artist who signs with a skull and works almost always in La Matuna and Pie de la Popa. His pieces are dark, with criticisms of mass tourism and inequality. He has no Instagram, he only appears at night. If you see a graffiti with a skull and a political message, it's by him.
• La Niña: A young female graffiti artist who paints Afro-descendant women with flowers in their hair. Her murals are in San Francisco and El Espinal, always on the facades of private homes. She doesn't charge, she just asks to be allowed to paint. Her style is colorful but with aggressive strokes.
• El Colectivo Cartagena Bajo Tierra: They are a group of about 10 artists who organize graffiti tours through popular neighborhoods. They themselves tell you the story of each mural and take you to areas that no tourist tour visits. You can find them on Instagram as @cartagenabajotierra. They coordinate tours on weekends, with a voluntary cost of $10,000 COP.

Gallery artists with radical proposals

On the institutional side, there are also people pushing the boundaries:

• Luis Fernando Peláez: A painter from Cartagena who exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art. His works mix religious iconography with images of popular culture, like chivas and street vendors. His paintings cost from $3,000,000 COP, but it's worth seeing them even if you don't buy.
• María José Jiménez: A sculptor who works with recycled materials found on Cartagena's beaches. Her work is political and ecological, and she has exhibited it at La Escalera. Her pieces are small and accessible, from $500,000 COP.
• El Taller de la Memoria: A collective of artists who create installations in public spaces with permission from the Mayor's Office. In 2025 they did an intervention in Plaza de la Aduana with white fabrics representing the veils of enslaved women. It was controversial but very powerful.

Where to see art for free? Free tour through San Francisco and El Espinal

If you don't want to spend money on museum tickets, you can do your own street art tour through the neighborhoods where local artists are leaving their mark. Here is the route:

1. San Francisco neighborhood: Start at Calle 30 with Carrera 18. There is a series of murals there by La Niña and other artists from the Cartagena Bajo Tierra collective. They are colorful, with faces of women and children from the neighborhood. Walk south along Carrera 19, and you'll see more pieces on the facades of the houses. Tip: Go before 10 a.m. to avoid building shadows and have good light for photos.
2. El Espinal sector: From San Francisco, walk 15 minutes west, to Calle 25 with Carrera 12. There is the long wall I told you about before, with rotating pieces by Kronos and other graffiti artists. It's a more popular area, smelling of fried food, but the art is brutal. Don't go into alleys alone; better go in a group or with the Cartagena Bajo Tierra tour.
3. End at Plaza de la Trinidad: To finish, return to Getsemaní but don't stay in the tourist square. Look for Calle de la Sierpe, where there is a huge mural by the Spanish artist Boris (a tribute to cumbia). It's institutional, paid for by the Mayor's Office, but it's well done and a good contrast to what you saw before.

Practical tip: Bring water, sunscreen, and cash. In San Francisco and El Espinal there aren't many ATMs, and street vendors only accept cash. Also bring your camera or phone with a charged battery, because there are plenty of photos to take.

Final verdict: Which defines Cartagena's visual identity?

The answer is both, but in very different ways. Institutional art (the murals paid for by the Mayor's Office, galleries like the Museum of Modern Art and La Escalera) defines the image the city wants to sell: colorful, friendly, touristy. It's the art you see on postcards and in ads for flights to Cartagena.

Introduction to the topic

Art in Cartagena goes beyond the history that breathes in its colonial streets and the shine of its sea. For several years now, the city has been a melting pot of artistic expressions that reflect both the pulse of local culture and the tensions between street art and institutional art. While institutional art is usually linked to museums and galleries, street art manifests vibrantly on the city's walls, turning public space into a canvas where artists tell their stories.

This encounter between the formal and the informal not only redefines urban aesthetics but also invites residents and visitors to question what Cartagena's visual identity really means. The interaction between these two artistic worlds is constantly evolving, fueled by the cultural diversity of its inhabitants and the influence of new generations of creators.

In this context, it is essential to explore how street art, often dismissed, is gaining recognition and visibility, challenging traditional notions of art and heritage. As we move towards 2026, the dialogue between institutional and street art becomes a key element for understanding Cartagena's visual identity.

Analysis by option (pros and cons)

Pros and cons of street art in Cartagena:

• Pros:
  • Cultural visibility: Street art reflects local identity and gives voice to communities, transforming public spaces into open-air galleries.
  • Accessibility: This type of art is present throughout Cartagena, allowing both locals and tourists to enjoy it at no cost.
  • Community interaction: It promotes the participation of emerging artists and collaboration between different sectors of society.
• Cons:
  • Lack of regulation: The absence of clear regulations can lead to vandalism and works that deteriorate the aesthetics of the environment.
  • Inequality in visibility: Not all artists receive the same attention, which can lead to local talent not being recognized.
  • Conflicts with institutional art: Street art is often seen as a threat to traditional art, generating tensions in the cultural landscape.

Pros and cons of institutional art in Cartagena:

• Pros:
  • Quality and professionalism: Institutions usually have curators and resources that guarantee a careful, high-quality presentation.
  • Education and dissemination: They offer educational programs and exhibitions that enrich knowledge about local art and culture.
  • Support for established artists: They provide platforms for recognized artists, contributing to the city's cultural economy.
• Cons:
  • Limited accessibility: Exhibitions in institutional spaces can have high entry costs, excluding part of the population.
  • Rigidity in expression: Institutional art sometimes adheres to traditional norms that can limit innovation and experimentation.
  • Disconnection from the community: It may not reflect the reality or concerns of the local population, becoming elitist.

Insider Tip: If you want to explore street art at its finest, don't miss the Getsemaní neighborhood. Its murals tell stories of Cartagena's culture and are a reflection of the city's vibrant spirit. Plus, you can take a guided tour that helps you understand the context behind each work.