This article is important for its focus on the actual work produced by the collective Excusado Printsystem (DeadBird, SaintCat, StinkFish, and Ratsonrop, pseudonyms of its members), which has been working in Bogotá since 2003. By way of contrast, other reviews and articles by journalists have focused solely on the legal and/or criminal aspects related to their urban action events or have told stories about the collective’s experience with the Colombian authorities. Barón proposes that the work involved in the collective’s urban action events has great cultural value, representing an important contribution to the city of Bogotá and to the Colombian art scene. His reason is simple: this work generates alternatives to the venues for circulating [exhibition], to arts events, and to the type of popular imagery.
The collective’s artwork revolves around action events in outdoor public spaces in the city such as graffiti, posters, stickers, and stencils [see “Excusado Pasquín Intercisternario” in Digital Archive ICAA (1092473)]. Trained at the School of Graphic Design at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the members of the collective propose a new role for the contemporary graphic designer in the city. In their opinion: “You learn a lot more about posters by putting them up than by designing them: making the paste and getting your hands dirty. The only way you can understand how a graphic works is by seeing the reactions on the street when anyone notices the piece of paper and stops to read it, even though it does not offer salvation, money, or a product” (Excusado Printsystem, “Transgresiones Urbanas: Construcción del espacio público mediante el vandalismo gráfico.” In 5 Festival Internacional de la Imagen. Manizales: Universidad de Caldas, 2006. pp.105-110).