English artist Banksy's recent visit to the Big Apple and the possible demolition of 5Pointz, which is known as the "graffiti Mecca of the world," has highlighted the power and political messages behind graffiti within the U.S. and around the globe.

Whether you consider graffiti to be an urban art form or a type of vandalism, there's no denying it leaves its impact on society and culture.

Barcelona, Spain's treasured writer, "Pez," (Fish) has flourished in the streets of northern Spain and the throughout the world with his urban spin and colorful vibe, dubbed the "Happy Style" - and most recently he left his vibrant mark on Bogotá, Colombia.

The urban artist started painting in 1999 on the outskirts of Barcelona. At first he used to write his signature, and soon it evolved into a fish. It was then Pez introduced his "Happy Style" to the world.

"Searching for a universal language to communicate with walkers, he found the smile. One day he decided to paint a fish character with a great smile near his tag," according to his website. "El Pez was born! He'd found the huge smile a way to pass on good vibrations to the walkers on the streets."

"In a few years his artwork spread throughout Barcelona, and soon he began to travel and to paint in European cities. So he began being recognized and rose quickly thanks to his perseverance in the street and the straight language of the smile." Now that smile is spreading to South America.

Recently, Pez visited Bogotá, Colombia and launched a new project where he created an urban masterpiece on a transparent wall, called "El Pez y la Pared Invisible" ("The Fish and the Invisible Wall").

The creative Spaniard's works appear in the best-known street art books: "Street Logos," Art of Rebellion," "Street Art," "Bcn New York," as well as in specialized magazines, websites and documentary films.

Like Banksy, Pez has shown his artwork in cities like NY, L.A. Tokyo, London, Miami, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Oslo.