MURAL M1NUTE #6: Kozte on memory, dignity, and the social pulse of Medellín
An interview with the artist behind one of Latidos’ most resonant murals
On the façade of the La Lonja building in downtown Medellín, Kozte’s mural Ensayo para un encuentro stands as one of the defining works of the Latidos Biennial. Monumental yet intimate, cinematic yet grounded in lived reality, the piece captures a fleeting encounter between Don José, a neighborhood worker, and a trans woman representing the sex workers who inhabit the surrounding streets of Junín and La Playa.
Rather than romanticizing or sensationalizing, Kozte frames both figures with a quiet dignity, a gesture that reflects not only his artistic maturity but also his deep relationship with the city’s social fabric.
What follows is a conversation about memory, territory, representation, and the evolving ecosystem of urban art in Medellín.
A childhood shaped by the streets
Kozte’s connection to Medellín’s center began long before he lived there.
“I’ve been in contact with the dynamics of street work and downtown Medellín since childhood,” he recalls.
Walking those streets with his parents left him with a familiarity that would later become central to his practice.
His evolution as an artist mirrors that journey. What began as painting for pleasure has transformed into a socially driven practice shaped by his upbringing in Magangué and the resilience of his parents. His background in graphic design also left a mark: “When I started experimenting with images, it was through screens, vivid, saturated colors. That influenced my visual language.”
Constructing a cinematic scene
The mural’s atmosphere, often described as cinematic, is no accident.
Starting from a photograph allowed Kozte to build the piece as a complete scene rather than an illustration.
“The background is out of focus to center attention on the characters,” he explains. “They’re not fully visible, which forces the public to pause and mentally continue the narrative.”
A warm, sepia‑like palette adds a nostalgic tone, reinforcing the sense of a moment suspended in time.
Choosing the protagonists
The pairing of Don José and the trans woman was deliberate and rooted in observation.
“The need to speak about them was born from reading the environment surrounding the wall,” he says. Their encounter — imagined yet grounded in reality — became a way to address complex social issues through an accessible image.
Respect guided the entire process. Kozte consulted with members of the communities represented, seeking feedback to avoid exoticizing or simplifying their realities.
“Honesty about how testimonies and photographs would be used was key.”
Dignity, territory, and the weight of representation
For Kozte, dignity in public art is inseparable from research and dialogue.
“It’s not only about the visual result, but about the way it is constructed,” he notes.
Downtown Medellín is not just a backdrop, it is the source.
“The work would not have the same meaning elsewhere. It’s a postcard, an X‑ray, or a mirror of the center, depending on how it’s observed.”
Testimonies from LGTBIQ+ communities, sex workers, and informal laborers shaped his understanding of the area’s daily life. These stories, often judged superficially, became the emotional core of the mural.
Public reception and the life of an image
Interestingly, the mural’s public life has been shaped by timing and circumstance.
Kozte has not yet officially published the work due to repairs, and the images circulating online were taken before completion, scaffolding still in place.
This raised a question for him:
“Are we painting for social networks and the immediacy of an algorithm, or for deeper reasons?”
Despite this, in-person reactions have been positive, even if many viewers have yet to fully decipher the message. Kozte sees the mural’s significance as something that will mature over time.
Building Latidos: ComuniGraff and collective power
As part of ComuniGraff, Kozte played a key role in shaping the Latidos Biennial, the largest graffiti gathering Medellín has ever hosted.
“It was enormous,” he says. “A city agenda was built with urban art as its main theme.”
For him, institutional recognition translates into opportunities and viable artistic careers. But maintaining street roots requires clarity and self-respect:
“State entities must be educated about what muralism or graffiti really is.”
Muralism as documentation
Kozte’s work sits at the intersection of muralism and social documentation.
“I use research, photography, and encounters with communities to construct images that interpret reality,” he explains.
His practice is shaped by experiences across Colombia and Latin America, giving him a broad lens on shared struggles and cultural expressions.
In a city where graffiti has long been tied to protest and resilience, he sees his contribution as both political and reflective, from participating in moments of social unrest to quietly documenting overlooked stories.
Responsibility and encounter
Painting real people in real conditions carries weight.
“Respect is the main thing,” he emphasizes. Dialogue, research, and humility are essential.
The mural itself is designed to provoke questions rather than provide answers.
By obscuring parts of the characters, Kozte invites viewers to pause, interpret, and reflect on the lives behind the image.
The digital layer: platforms and the future of Urban Art
Digital platforms like Street Art Cities play a crucial role in extending a mural’s life beyond its physical location.
“Their documentary management is incredible,” he says. “Many works on the platform no longer exist, only their record remains.”
He sees these platforms as essential for democratizing art, decentralizing attention, and supporting emerging talent.
He imagines a future where they host ceremonial awards, develop educational programs, and collaborate with institutions worldwide.
A final reflection
Ensayo para un encuentro is more than a mural, it is a fragment of urban memory, a staged moment that reveals deeper truths about Medellín’s center and the people who inhabit it. Through research, empathy, and a cinematic eye, Kozte transforms a simple encounter into a powerful reflection on dignity, coexistence, and the evolving landscape of urban art.
Today, the mural continues its life beyond the wall: it is now live on Street Art Cities, where anyone can discover it through the app, navigate to its exact location, and interact with it as part of the growing global archive of urban art. This digital presence extends the work’s reach, allowing viewers far beyond Medellín to engage with its story, and ensuring that the encounter Kozte imagined keeps unfolding, one viewer at a time.