Willie ‘Chile’ Alexander

Foreign Correspondent: Valparaiso, Chile

© Bing McGilvray and Willie Alexander

Usually I see Willie when out and about downtown.
He’s always walkin’ around.
Always happy to see me and likewise.
If I haven’t seen him in awhile and think of his smile,
I’ll send him an email. Or he’ll send one to me.
Recently, I got an email revealing a colorful surprise.
Willie’s in Chile!

Story as follows …

All photos © Willie Alexander except pics depicting Willie are © Anne Rearick.

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7/7  Received an email with several pics from Willie:

We are here in Valparaiso on top of this steep hill, the green one in the middle is our AirBnB /// this section of town is really decorated /// holy crap!!

Taking tons of street pics w/my little telephone camera … ate some octopus for lunch too!7/10 A second email:

These pictures were all taken within walking distance from our place atop one of the 45 Hills of Valpo /// it’s art everywhere, tile designs, murals, graffiti on stairsteps and up the sides of buildings /// portraits of the famous, wild style Big Letters, mysticism, mythology, political, personal … all of it just beautiful!!

7/15 Had not heard from Willie in few days. Wrote him an inquiry. He admitted he was doing so much and taking so many pics he couldn’t keep up with sending reports home. More pictures arrived though, so I suggested we get together when he’s back in Glosta and we can create a photo essay for The Cosmos. “A-OK Bingo!” came his reply.

7/26 Met with Willie and asked him to fill in some details about his journey.

My wife Annie (photographer Anne Rearick) travels a lot and she’d heard that this was the funkiest artist seaside community on the planet. She got a small grant and off we went. Valparaiso is a major shipping port and still has a large fishing fleet. Now, also a big military presence. It was once the heart of the slave trade. Like any place, it’s had its horrors, but it is unbelievably beautiful.

After 30 years of brutal dictatorship under Pinochet, the place burst back into color and creativity. We stayed in Valpo, a small section, a lot like Gloucester, on the harbor, with more overwhelming street art than you can take in, some crude and some sublime. Everywhere, everywhere. The people were great, very welcoming … the locals really liked my hair.

Some of the best murals were made by a duo, "Un Kolor Distinto" (a different color), who started out in Valpo and now work internationally. Some of my favorite works depict the Selk’nam, a sacred figure representing the indigenous Onawo people, who painted and decorated their bodies from head to toe. The Ona are supposedly extinct but they sure make a lot of art. The famous people are self-explanatory … heroic leaders, cultural icons, writers, poets. Shop owners often pay to have their faces splashed on their storefront.

It was a whirlwind tour and we also spent time outside the city, off the grid in San Pedro de Atacoma. That’s another story. Things happened very fast. I can’t wait to go back. What more can I say?

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