The glowing face of one of Venezuela’s greatest athletes seems to invigorate a corner of the country’s decaying capital, a splash of color and inspiration for increasingly grim times.
Elsewhere, swirls of patterns surround a realistic portrait of beloved singer and actor Simon Diaz, an immense image on a wall towering over a Caracas street.
Wolfgang Salazar has gained increasing fame for his spray-painted murals of Venezuelans — heroes and everyday folk alike — at a time when the pandemic and economic hardship weigh upon his fellow citizens.
“I want people to smile for a moment,” said the 30-year-old Salazar. “I want them to go home with a different kind of story to tell.”
His most recent work, commissioned by a Caracas restaurant, honors triple-jump indoor world record setter Yulimar Rojas, the first Venezuelan honored as athlete of the year by World Athletics.
The mural depicts Rojas’ smiling face above a image of her silhouette leaping Venezuela’s iconic Angel Falls, the...
January 14