Spray-Painting Politics: From Bed-Stuy to La Boca

In this photo collection, Leyad Zavriyev explores street art and graffiti from neighborhoods across the world – from Buenos Aires and San Juan, to Marrakech and Brooklyn. These walls tell stories of struggle, resilience, memory, and pride: remembering victims of dictatorship, honoring cultural icons, and calling for justice. What unites them is how they turn everyday streets into open-air galleries, where paint becomes a direct voice of the people and their communities.

La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina – A mural serving to remember the terror of Argentina’s military dictatorship, which killed, tortured, and disappeared 22,000-30,000 left-wing activists and political opponents between 1974 and 1983.

San Juan, Puerto Rico – A memorial for the 4,645 Puerto Ricans (over 72 times the official government claim of 64) killed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which also caused roughly $100 billion in damage.

Bushwick Collective, Brooklyn – A wall honoring indigenous peoples.

Knickerbocker Ave, Bushwick, Brooklyn – A group of hip-hop legends who revolutionized music as a whole. Pictured here (left to right) are Tupac, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and Lauryn Hill.

Marrakech, Morocco – A tagine reading “peace” in Arabic.

Quito, Ecuador.

Christian St. & South Rosewood St. – South Philadelphia.

Quotes (provided for clarity lost in the image):

“Though war is old it has not become wise” – Alice Walker

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The sprawling sound – Of peace sails on the wind – A white butterfly” – Sonia Sanchez

“I’ll overcome some day, if in my heart I do not yield. I’ll overcome some day” – Charles Tindley

“We will be judged by how well we have loved” – Toni Morrison

Buenos Aires, Argentina – A garage door depicting support for the justice movement of over 350 journalists and other media workers who were sacked by the news agency Telam for their political views and union-organizing activities.

Athens, Greece – Graffiti artists around the world have long used trains to practice and spread their tags.

Graffiti Hall of Fame – East Harlem, New York.

East 125th St. & Park Ave – East Harlem, New York

La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina – A tribute honoring Boca Juniors legend Diego Maradona, who rose from humble neighborhood idol to joint winner of FIFA’s Player of the Century.

Chinatown, Boston – A decorated ATM.

Bklyn Kings Memorial – East New York, Brooklyn.

Downtown Brooklyn – A mural depicting the dockworkers without whom Brooklyn could not have become the sprawling city it is today.

Bedford Ave – Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Cedofeita, Porto, Portugal.

Cambridge, Massachusetts – Skating and punk culture have grown hand-in-hand with hip-hop and graffiti culture; today, many skateparks are effectively museums of street art and tagging.