In the past years there has been considerable growth in the art form that is today regarded to as "urban art". It is useful to recall that not so long ago, artists that hawked cans of spray paint around town were mostly regarded as vandals or punks – the graffiti artist was just some kind of a low-life, uneducated kid who deserved to do time.

The inevitability of time changes everything, though – those kids grew up, and their art form gradually began to win respect, and urban art earned acclaim in art galleries in Paris, Berlin, New York (MOMA had a retrospective on graffiti not long ago) and Moscow. The "punks", who were once featured on the papers as criminals, were all of a sudden featured on the covers of the world's principal art publications.

Urban Art was born on the streets and subway trains of New York. In Hollywood films of yesteryear, commuter trains were covered in paint – some artists actually risked their lives in order to create their masterpieces. Graffiti eventually won global fame, and twenty-plus years on, urban artists have become celebrities who sell their works for thousands of dollars.

Several months ago, graffiti was the theme for the launch of Levi's summer collection, which happened in SoHo's Bloomingdale's - one of the most conservative and traditional department stores in the country.

As with all world tendencies, graffiti reached Brazil during the 80s through Hollywood films, and was absorbed by the youth of that era, who adapted the fashion to their own roots (something Brazilians always do --- we never import anything per se). As time went by, their work was featured on album covers, clothing and finally, modern art.

Among one of these pioneers is Paulo César Silva, who is better known under the nicknam Speto (stick – he is extremely thin), who was in the U.S. early in Septemberto create a mural entitled "Ginga" in commemoration of Brazil's independence on the outside wall of the Boi Na Brasa steakhouse in Newark. His visit was made possible through an art sponsorship program provided by Brahma Beer

"The idea is to show Brazil outside the general cliché of samba and soccer", he said during a one-on-one interview as he prepared to begin his work. "Especially after the shame we went through during the last World Cup."

Speto's career began over 20 years ago when as a young skateboardist he saw the cover of an album by Australian surf-rock group Oingo Boingo. " That cover changed my life", he says. After that, the inspiration came from hip-hop movies of the 80s, and things just grew after that.

"Back then, there was no such thing as streetwear", he explains. "You couldn't just walk into a shop and find the kind of clothing we were wearing. As I grew older, though, I migrated from the skateboard to music, and began drawing CD covers for the likes of Charlie Brown Jr., Marcelo D2, among others. From that, publicity was a natural process, and then my growth as a professional artist.

Speto quit his formal studies early on, and his education comes from studying on his own. "I have a problem with school", he says. "I quit formal studies early on, and went on to educate myself. I prefer to tech myself, and to pursue everything in a non-academic manner.".

Among the artists that inspired him are names such as Aldemir Martins (who he had the opportunity to meet), modern art icon Di Cavalcanti, bossa nova guitarist Baden Powell, songwriter Dorival Caymmi and sport icons such as boxer Muhammad Ali.

"Baden Powell translated art in a very subtle way, even if he was a virtuoso in his instrument", he explains. "Aldemir (Martins) was a very good man, and this is a good thing when it comes to art --- good things unite, while bad ones don't."

Inbev (the company that controls Brahma, among other brands) has been very important to artists like himself. Through partnerships such as these, Brazilian urban art has had the opportunity reach markets otherwise unattainable. "I have been to Moscow, Berlin, Paris and London, where I met a lot of people", he recalls. "I also had the chance to visit various museums, and learned a lot about my own work."

Gaining recognition was It was no pleasure cruise, though. "It took a long time to earn people's respect. In a certain way, art is like music, and it is not easy to get your work to be given its due.

As for the future of Brazilian art, Speto says that he is optimistic. "Art is much more democratic these days, and it is more visible. Nowadays, you can set up a website and you can show your work aroung the world. Art galleries are way less snobbish, and spaces such as Sao Paulo's Choque Cultural have done a lot to educate audiences.

Speto does not worry about selling out, or the commercialism that has been absorbing urban art. "Wherever there are people, history repeats itself", he ponders. "I don't believe that commercialism spoils art. Throughout history, art has always had its patrons – graffiti is an art form that is going through constant renovation, and the key is conceptualization.