"Wild Streets" at Butter Gallery Showcases Miami Street Art

In the past several years, Miami's street art scene has really come into its own. From Wynwood to downtown to Overtown, talented muralists have brought color and culture to the city through a plethora of riveting designs.

All the while, photographer Diana Larrea has been faithfully documenting these blossoming works — and sharing them via social media.

Larrea, whose nickname is "Parcialmente Nublada," chronicles the city's murals, both through social media, on WynwoodMurals.com, and as a correspondent for other outlets. She's nothing if not diligent about showing the world what Miami's street art scene is made of.

"To get an awesome shot, I wait for the light, I wait for the clouds to pass so I won't have a shadow — sometimes I wait inside my car just for a cloud to pass, " Larrea explains. 

While her social media accounts concentrate primarily on photos of the murals themselves, Larrea also takes shots in the style of a photojournalist, snapping candids of what's happening around the art. Here she captures the artists in the midst of painting, people passing by, and how the art integrates into the surrounding landscape.

It's these shots that are the focus of her Butter Gallery exhibit, "Wild Streets." 

"It’s a mix, the process. It’s when the mural is already done and something cool is happening and I’m just there to catch it," she says of her photojournalistic work. "It's what happens in between when I’m taking the actual shots I need for social media."

And for Larrea, this work is a personal passion.

"I like sharing it, but I have the pleasure of knowing I was able to shoot it and shoot it right. I don’t know if everybody cares as much. I don’t know if someone spends a whole Sunday and wakes up superearly to try to get the right shot. For me, that's what matters," she says.

She has basically covered the entirety of Wynwood and now just waits for new work to go up. She also shoots whatever new murals catch her eye elsewhere and frequently travels to festivals and events across the globe. "If there is somebody painting, for sure I’m going to be harassing them every day — at least here in Miami," she laughs.

Her work recently took her to a little town in the Dominican Republic that was transformed as artists painted walls every day for two weeks. She hopes this show gives her the opportunity to do more globetrotting.

"I love to watch people, so whatever happens in front of a mural, it’s just pretty cool."

"Wild Streets" opens April 11 and runs through June 13 at Butter Gallery, 2930 NW Seventh Ave., Miami. Regular gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission is free.