DJ LU - Colombia

A couple hours after his arrest, the police who handcuffed DJ Lu were congratulating him. They’d taken him to the station for pasting his now iconic Pineappleade pictogram on the buildings of Bogotá—but once they realized the meaning behind the symbol, they not only let him go, they thanked him for his bold statement, which critiques land mines littering the pineapple crop fields across Colombia. This is the power of DJ Lu’s art. Though the Pineappleade is DJ Lu’s trademark—it can be found everywhere from South American city blocks to several BucketFeet shoes—he has created hundreds of stencils, each of which strikes viewers with a potent mix of artistic beauty and political criticism. When he talks about his work, he is direct about its purpose: “I wish for peace and understanding between people—not just the people in my country but all over the world. Through my images, I promote an attitude that celebrates diversity.”