Marlon Torres - Travel Blog

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Visiting the Wynwood Walls in Miami, Florida

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So Miami is no longer just about South Beach. Wynwood, Miami is also known as Miami’s Art District and is one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city. It is just a few minutes away from downtown Miami. It is surrounded by Edgewood to east, Allapattah to the west, Overtown to the South and Buena Vista to the North.

The Wynwood neighborhood dates back to the early 1900s, it was known as a working class neighborhood and in the 1950’s it was known as Little San Juan due to influx in immigrants from Puerto Rico. Over the years the make up of the neighborhood has changed and it’s had it’s share of problems due to crime and drug trafficking, but today it is a vibrant, thriving center for art with over 70 galleries, collections and museums to see and in my opinion is a must when visiting Miami.

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The Wynwood Walls is an actual outdoor art gallery. It is located at 2520 NW 2nd Ave in Miami FL and is open to the public free of charge .  Make sure to check their official website for hours before you go.

Once you walk through the main gate you'll come upon a courtyard and the "Peter Tunney Experience", which is a large gallery.  Right now the gallery is home to the exhibit titled “Excerpts From the Taj Mahal”, which features items that were salvaged from the now closed Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City.  The exhibit features a variety of items such as a 15ft chandelier, the marquee light boxes, blueprints, wallpaper and much more.

interior of the GGA Gallery

The entire venue has murals throughout which were created by artists from all over the world.  Some have more of a graffiti vibe, while some are more whimsical and artsy, and of course there were quite a few that were politically charged and addressing current social issues.  Make sure you check out the gallery towards the back area which has more what I would consider pop art.

Wynwood Doors

I really enjoyed my walk throughout the Wynwood Walls, but adjacent to the Wynwood Walls is the Wynwood Doors. The is a separate lot within the entire complex and happens to be my favorite area of the entire gallery.  A few of the my favorite murals in this lot were  “The Hulk Boy” by Ron English, an explosive piece, which shows the hulk displaying his power. Another one that caught my attention was a “portrait” by Portuguese artist, Alexander Farto also known as "Vhils". He actually carves and chisels into the brick wall using a variety of tools such as hammers, drills, etching acid, bleach among others tools and then there is the mural by Ernest Zacharevic, which is a mural inspired by a 1970’s photo of kids playing, he often includes actual objects in his murals, in this one the kids are using wood scraps to build a clubhouse. Those are just a few that I really liked, but there is plenty to see so make sure when you go you have enough time to walk around and see everything.

The Vlog

Check out my vlog on the Wynwood Walls and if you like the video drop a comment and give it a like.  It is much appreciated.

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https://youtu.be/Eh6GKopQEuI