Take a stroll along the cobbled streets of Buenos Aires and you will probably meet one of the most emblematic brands in the city: the fileteado porteño. Characterized by its colorful swirls – Threaded – artistic lettering and flowery patterns, this popular decorative art is found everywhere in the Argentine capital, from building facades to taxis via tattoo parlors. But it hasn’t always been like that.
Fileteado was born in the early twentieth century in wagon factories in Buenos Aires when Italian immigrants began to paint the sides of these traditionally gray cars with simple lines and decorative elements. Overtime, fileteadores (the artists) added more complex elements to their work, such as light and shadow effects, flowers, plants, animals, ribbons and popular sayings in Gothic typography, all of which characterize art today.
As the art form spread from horse-drawn carriages to sign shops and more modern vehicles, it was looked down upon by the elite of Buenos Aires. In fact, in 1975 the city passed a law banning the painting of city buses, claiming that it could distract drivers. The law was only repealed in 2006. The 31-year ban, combined with an economic crisis that followed in the 1980s, led to the closure of many studios that once employed fileadores. But fileteado has experienced a resurgence in recent decades, with artists sourcing alternative fabrics for their work.
In 2004, the General Directorate of Museums of Buenos Aires had facades painted by fileteadores on six facades of rue Jean Jaurès, on the same block of the Carlos Gardel house-museum. Today, these concrete fabrics constitute the largest exposure of open air fileteado.
In 2015, fileteado porteño was inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage, and today, some groups offer tours where participants can learn to create their own fileteado work.
(Video by Rafael Estefania; text by Luana Harumi)
To learn more about this and other stories, watch The BBC Travel Show – every weekend on the BBC News Channel and BBC World News.
BBC Travel Show brings you the latest news on insider travel, a multitude of destinations, incredible experiences and features, and practical advice, tips and advice for your vacation.
If you liked this story, sign up for bbc.com weekly newsletter called “The Essential List”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.
