A champeta poster painter

Cartagena, Colombia – December 2017

A Colombian sign painter apprentice takes down a just-finished music party poster in the sign painting workshop in Cartagena, Colombia. Hidden in the dark, narrow alleys of Bazurto market, a group of dozen young men gathered around José Corredor (“Runner”), the master painter, produce every day hundreds of hand-painted posters. Although the vast majority of the production is designed for a cheap visual promotion of popular Champeta music parties, held every weekend around the city, Runner and his apprentices also create other graphic design artworks, based on brush lettering technique. Using simple brushes and bright paints, the artisanal workshop keeps the traditional sign painting art alive.