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From walls to wallets: Barcelona graffiti artists share their love for Bitcoin

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From walls to wallets: Barcelona graffiti artists share their love for Bitcoin

Nine months after launching, the Street Cy₿er artist collective has over 100 street artists, musicians and Bitcoin enthusiasts involved.

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From skate parks and construction sites to train stations and bus stops, a pair of Bitcoin-loving graffiti artists from Barcelona, Spain have been working tirelessly to spread the good word about Bitcoin.

Street Cy₿er, a collective of artists and enthusiasts, has been creating Bitcoin (BTC) street art all over Europe since its formation in January 2023 to raise awareness about the cryptocurrency.

One of Street Cy₿er’s co-founders, “Street,” told Cointelegraph that the crew is made up of over 100 educators, enthusiasts, artists, musicians, activists and journalists. Their efforts can be seen across Barcelona, London, Berlin, Madrid, Prague, Riga (Latvia) and Tallin (Estonia). 

Bitcoin graffiti on Street CY₿ER’s website. Source: Street CY₿ER.

Much of their artwork, which they share on social media, aims to deliver powerful statements about the traditional financial system’s purported failures and where Bitcoin can step in. Other pieces of art simply look to raise awareness about cryptocurrency. Street told Cointelegraph:

“Street art is also a way to bypass the traditional media, which is often controlled by powerful interests.”

He said Street Cy₿er’s motivation behind the Bitcoin street art is plain and simple: to push for a fairer world.

“The symbiosis between street art and Bitcoin is a powerful one. By working together, these two movements help to create a more just and equitable world.”

The Street Cy₿er website’s gallery currently shows more than 70 images of their artwork, all of which feature the Bitcoin logo or mention its name. 

“Buy Bitcoin, defund the state”

Bitcoin graffiti by Street Cy₿er. Source: Street Cy₿er

Speaking to specific pieces of their work, Street said the premise behind “Buy Bitcoin Defund The State” was to get people thinking about how Bitcoin can help create a freer society by reducing the role of the state in people’s lives.

“Bitcoin is a peaceful way to protest against the state and its policies. It is a way to opt out of the traditional financial system [and] escape the tyranny of the state.”

Street said Bitcoin is being used to build a “new society” that flourishes off of individual freedom and voluntary cooperation — a philosophy pushed by many cryptocurrency-anarchists around the world.

“Make war unaffordable”

“Make War Unaffordable” poster. Source: Street Cy₿er

Street says Bitcoin’s scarcity will make it difficult for governments to wage wars because they cannot print more BTC to finance them.

“This will make it more difficult for governments to maintain large militaries and will make war less affordable,” he said.

If wars were hypothetically funded with Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency’s transparency would make it tough for state actors to hide war spending, believes Street, and such attacks would be more likely to be picked up by opposing states.

Graffiti artist at work. Source: Street Cy₿er

Additionally, Street said the “Bitcoin Makes War Unaffordable” message ties back to promoting peace and freedom around the world.

“Print books, not money”

“Print Books Not Money” poster at a bus interchange in Barcelona. Source: Street Cy₿er

Street believes that if states used Bitcoin to fund education as opposed to printing money, free education worldwide could become a possibility.

Due to Bitcoin’s scarcity, governments would think twice about where they allocate it, said Street:

“Bitcoin is a scarce resource, so governments would have to be careful about how they spend it. This would make governments more accountable to their citizens and would help to ensure that education is a top priority.”

Not all of Street Cy₿er’s Bitcoin street art is politically motivated — the crew is also appealing to cartoon lovers by showcasing Bitcoin’s symbol with the likes of Mario and Ronald McDonald.

Bitcoin graffiti by Street Cy₿er. Source: Street Cy₿er

The Street Cy₿er team recently created a “Bitcoin: The Art of Revolution” project based in Barcelona, Spain, which will host several exhibitions, workshops and classes for those wanting to learn more about Bitcoin.

Bitcoin logo around the world

Bitcoin proponents have also been using other innovative ways to spread the word about the cryptocurrency.

In March, a Bitcoin logo captioned “Study Bitcoin” was projected on the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, Germany and on the central banks of other countries such as the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

The projection occurred at a time when the global banking sector was under the spotlight following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the United States.

Related: Bitcoin has entered a civil war — Over ‘art’

Another Bitcoin logo was shined on Berliner Fernsehturm tower, Germany’s tallest building, a few months earlier in January. The German Bitcoiner behind the idea said they wanted to call attention to the cryptocurrency.

A spartan with Bitcoin-logoed eyes, captioned “HODL (Hold On for Dear Life),” was spotted by pedestrians in Hong Kong in 2020.

The art even received admiration from Tyler Winklevoss, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini.

Some advocates have gone with simpler means to spread awareness. “Stuff4btc” has been spreading the message by putting stickers on chairs, tables and light poles in the public.

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