Yaqui Melhem: Las mujeres en el arte callejero 

(in English)

Yaqui Melhem is a designer and street artist who is recognizable for her unique and eye-catching murals that frequently feature illustrations of women. Murals have become a popular form of street art in Buenos Aires over the past decade. They are typically large in size and are painted directly onto the walls by the artists. As a result of the economic crisis of 2001, the street art scene in Buenos Aires has grown enormously. Buenos Aires has become a welcoming city of collectivism and street art activism, as it is a place that values social organization and protest. As a new wave of feminism has entered the political scene in the city, the debate on gender disparity has emerged in the street art industry. Unequal job opportunities and government support, lack of visibility, and gender-based violence have been identified as common barriers faced by women street artists. With this awareness, collectives of artists and activists, such as the Association of Women Muralists of Argentina (AMMurA), have worked to advocate for equality and change the ways in which women are represented in art. Body positivity has been a key element in this new feminist movement. There has been a shift from the male-dominated and sexualized representation of women to a more positive and inclusive perspective of the female form in street art (Allan 2018).