17 greatest street artists from Cancun you should know about

Murals and graffiti is a reflection of the culture. They can be historically significant as they serve as a reminder for a struggle or victory. They can be beautiful and uplifting, generating the source of pride for local people.  But despite of everything they are becoming an important and prominent part of any city and Cancun is not an exception.

Today I will introduce to 17 street artists from Cancun that proudly share Mexican heritage through street art and graffiti.

Sleepwalck

Sleepwalck is a true legend in the world of street art in Cancun. Claiming his street artist’s integrity for many years, he is admired, loved and respected, remaining the symbol for resistance and excellence.

Combining modern figures with the imaginary world, Sleepwalck pieces send the message – men will always be an integral part of nature and this mutual relationship should be carefully maintained.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepwalck/

Deken Kodeak

Muralist, graffiti artist, the founder of the project Various Barrios, Deken Kodeak  paints to reinforce a neighborhood’s character and put more attention to the talented local artists bringing them together to the cities in Yucatan Peninsula to enhance the look of the public spaces through the murals and graffiti.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deken_kodeak/

Raul Lopez

Raul Lopez is one of the most respected visual and street artists in Cancun, who is always eager to share his experience through the street art that makes his works event most significant and prominent.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raullopezartist/

Dherzu Uzala

Mexican urban and street art are still very much rooted in the folklore. Dherzu perfectly embodies these native influences. His art blends contemporary images with references to Mayan and Aztec culture.

Artists’ works appear on walls, canvases, paper reflecting the strong influence of Mexican customs. With the intense touch Dherzu combines the new with the folklore.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dherzu_uzala/

Liz Rashell

Liz Rashell is an important inclusion in the Cancun street art scene that has made a lot of changes in the way how the local people look at public aesthetic discourse and street art making. A clear break that she has made organizing together with her brother the World Art Destinations organization has transformed the city and demonstrated how far the local street artists can go.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizrashell/

Marisol D’Estrabeau

Marisol is a brilliant visual and muralist artist famous for her colorful cosmic creatures that live on the walls and the canvas. Marisol participated in international projects not just in Mexico but as well abroad, worked on several social campaigns. Her pieces are characterized by their pastel colors and frequent use of animals.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisoldestrabeau/

Poket

The style of Poket may be hard to decipher, but it is visually equally, or even more engaging than others.  The convoluted and interlocked letters, arrows, spikes and other elements merge into one another. The complex pattern of letters and other forms creates dynamic abstract images.

Most of the works done by Poket belong to New York Style or Wild Style, making him one of the most important graffiti artists in Cancun.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poket_twentytwo/

Happyone Lopez

The works of two brothers similarly represent intricate formal arrangements, where color, shape, lines and organization of compositions are of the foremost importance.

Besides making graffiti the brothers Lopez are one of the best tattoo masters in Cancun. Their tattoos are characterized with intricate lines, bizarre creatures, exclusively black color and effective contrast.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/happydve/

Eksen One

When graffiti and calligraphy inevitably meet, we have a fascinated mixture of letters. Eksen One is a graffiti artist and talented graphic designer who combines calligraphy, oriental geometry, patterning and portraiture. He dares to delve deep into the shape of a word approach to challenge differently.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eksen_one/

Chugs

The vibrant art of Chugs embodies an innovative use of color and imaginative subject matter.

Raised in Chicago, his work is influenced by Chicago graffiti style and years spent immersed in hip-hop and rock culture during his teenage years. Initially working on the walls, his art has come alive via spray cans and acrylic into three-dimensional installations.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuggerrtd/

Stelar

Stencil stands for graffiti style where shapes made of cardboard, paper or other materials are used from reproduction of images. The use of stencils makes replication of images easy, and this also contributes to the popularity of this style, which has in recent years grown into a worldwide subculture.

The Cancun based artist Stelar develops a distinctive style building images from drawing and stenciled text, creating raw artworks and portraits. Mixing several media and techniques together, he uses stencils, spray cans, brushwork, dripping paint. His distinctive aesthetics has made a significant mark on the graffiti art scene of Cancun.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stelarpower/

Eanc One (Erving Noh)

The passion for drawing and painting of this artist started at a young age, and lead him to spray the graffiti. After painting various impressive murals and taking part in Morlocks Crew Erwing has got an opportunity to participate in Meeting of Styles, the biggest festival of graffiti.

The images he has painted on the walls – very realistic and striking portraits of people. No doubt, we can expect a lot from this young artist.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eanc.one/

Sony

Old School refers to styles developed in the 1970s and 80s at the beginning of graffiti art. They are basic tag and throw-up graffiti that have been widely present in New York’s subway system.

Sony belongs to these old school graffiti artists that were emerged from this underground cradle to become one of the first who initiated the burgeoning of this art form in Cancun.

Mario Mozko

His fondness of bright blocks of color and whimsical combinations of human and animal forms give his art an instantly recognizable look.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mario.mozko/

Erick Trejo

Colorful and beautiful imaginations made by Erick you can see in different spaces in Cancun. They are creations of dreams and imagination but raise awareness about the inconsideration that society can have towards our environment and the lack of consciousness when it comes to ecological issues. Symbols as hypertrophy, deformation and sometimes monstrosity are universal symbols of spirituals and ethicals issues that are very present in modern societies.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericktrejo777/

Snuff

This well-known Cancun artist has a penchant for creating cartoonish pig characters in his pieces. Drawing on the local culture of the place he works, his art varies a lot depending on where he creates it, though his signature style and use of bright primary colors always manages to shine through.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snuffreak/

Crea

One more young artist who makes a lot of use of almost fluorescent colors and geometrical shapes formed by curved lines, frequently depicting animals (mostly monkey) as his significant style.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creaberto/