Paseo Dimalow // Valparaíso, Chile 2026
Mi familia chilena and I painted this doorway right next to their studio in the ‘Dimalook’ space as a group project one night during the trip. The doorway was all tagged up, so Ricardo asked their neighbor Don Daniel if he’d be open to an art piece to make it more official. Within minutes of discussing it we were outside taking turns standing on a stool and spraying up la puerta.
We had initially proposed the idea of a collage of cats. Don Daniel wanted something more ‘porteño,’ in the spirit of the Port City of Valparaíso. He brought out a painting he had inside his apartment as an example of a city scene he found inspiring. I mapped out some lines in a super fast, cubist-looking rendition of my own take on Valpo: stacks of colorful houses with tin roofs, an ‘ascensor’ (urban elevator), some laundry hanging out to dry, and cobblestone ground.
From there we all took turns filling in different sections. Clau, Ricardo, Aurora and I all weighed in on color placement and design elements. When the fill was complete, I swooped in with the black and white to cut it all back with the final outline.
I painted lots of fun stuff in Valpo, but I think this is my favorite piece of the whole trip! It happened so fast and was a collaborative effort with really special people. And it’s actually in a super visible place — Paseo Dimalow is in the very heart of Cerro Alegre’s hot zone, and tons of people walk by this door every day. So cool!
At the end of the trip, the Sprinkles Squad from SF and Portland arrived in the city. Wandering around Cerro Alegre at night, had to get a crew foto in front of la puerta!
Gracias vecinos*familia. Una experience muy especial!