When I started this project, it was going to be a single article with maybe 30 photos and a few words about the art scene in this city. I would come to find that to be a serious underestimation. Then again, I estimated I would be Málaga for two days, not three months, so maybe I’m just terrible at guessing.

Málaga is a city overflowing with street art. From the trendy Soho district to the walls of elementary schools to tunnels and vacant lots, I ended up photographing more than 200 unique pieces over the past 100 days.

D*FACE/OBEY

Photographing art during a total lockdown in an unfamiliar city presented a challenge. Within 72 hours of my arrival, I found myself basically under house arrest for the next seven weeks. Trips outside were only allowed to the grocery store. Police patrols were constant with hefty fines. My company that covers the live events industry collapsed. I was alone with a single window that looked out into the street. It was not a great time.

Then I started to take photos of the art around the city.

Lidia Louq

And taking those pictures made me feel better.

And convinced me to get dressed at least once a day.

So I took a lot of photos.

Like a lot of photos.

Some of them made me laugh.

Dreucol

Or gave me hope.

LALONE

Or inspired me.

Doger

Some just made me happy.

Others not so much.

El Alfil

And some I just loved because they existed and nothing more.

It took quite a bit of time to translate some of them.

Druecol

And others I didn’t need any help at all.

This one filled me a deep calm.

LALONE

This one scared the shit out of me.

And this one is my favorite.

There’s a lot of amazing art here in Malaga.

Faith XLVII

And I hope someday that when we get to travel again…

DALeast

You’ll be able to see all of it as well.

And to all the artists…

Thank-you.


To see more street art photography taken over the period of Spain’s lockdown, here’s the full rundown of my 100-day coverage.

Neighborhoods/Regions Galleries
Lagunillas
Soho
The BoulevArt
Polígono Carretera de Cártama
The Murals of Colegio El Divino Pastor
Everywhere Else

Local Artist Photo Galleries
LALONE
Dadi Dreucol
Doger

Bonus Gallery!
Estepona, Spain

If you want to experience this amazing art, I recommend booking a tour with Street Art Malaga, two passionate locals that are extremely knowledgeable about the scene here. I never took a tour with them (you know, the virus), but picked up a lot of excellent tips through their Facebook page and website. Or you could move here by accident, lose all human contact and spend the next three months wandering the streets like a ghost with a camera. I recommend the first option.