Street art
Vhils, Bordalo II, Aka Corleone, Tamara Alves and Mário Belém are some of the biggest names in Portuguese street art in Lisbon. And they’re not alone. Artists come from all over the world to make the most of Lisbon as a canvas for their different styles and messages. Lisbon is fast becoming an open-air museum for striking works of street art. Take a unique tour of the city with us. Disquiet heart by Tamara Alves CAIS DO SODRÉ
Tamara Alves is one of the best-known visual artists in Portugal. She has gifted us with yet another example of her talent, this time on one of the walls of our cousin, Time Out Market in Largo D. Luís. The mural was inspired by the words of José Saramago, “If you have an iron heart, enjoy it. Mine is made of flesh, and bleeds all day”.àLargo D. Luís.
BALANCE by AkaCorleone CAMPO MÁRTIRES DA PÁTRIA
AkaCorleone used 91 litres of paint, 24 litres of hardener and five litres of solvent to paint the sports pavilion in Campo Mártires da Pátria. The 14 x 25-metre work is called BALANCE. As the artist says, it depicts “the search for a real balance, perfect duality between two people, two teams, two sides, two realities”, in a place frequented by people of different ages and backgrounds. The project had been planned for a long time, and actually seemed like a mirage for a while. Just like balance, it was hard to achieve but now it’s “there for everyone to enjoy”.àCampo Mártires da Pátria.
Universal Personhood by Shepard Fairey GRAÇA
Universal Personhood is a series of works by Shepard Fairey, aka Obey Giant, the American
artist who created Obama’s famous “Hope” poster. Shepard came to Lisbon for the “Printed Matters Lisbon’’ exhibition at Galeria Underdogs. He left a legacy that was more or less ephemeral, like all street art, at 69 Rua da Senhora da Glória. The piece is unique. This series is an appeal for equal rights for women of all religions and ethnicities. Obey invited Vhils to join him in building this 5 x 14 metre work and Vhils crafted the second half of the mural in his inimitable style.àRua da Senhora da Glória, 69.
Equality by AkaCorleone MONSANTO
The Festival Iminente is a street art event that has been held in Portugal since 2016. In 2020 it left some amazing works behind at Panorâmico de Monsanto. The most striking one is perhaps the one by Akacorleone, who took over the huge window by the building’s spiral staircase. Equality is reminiscent of a stained-glass window and is designed to communicate with “the space to create a dialogue between the Panorâmico’s characteristic monumentality and decadence”. The work is designed to
use the light that falls on it to transform the environment.àEstrada da Bela Vista. Mon-Sun 9am-7pm .
Abolition of the death penalty by Mário Belém SANTA APOLÓNIA
Galeria de Arte Urbana invited Portuguese artist Mário Belém to paint two walls in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in Portugal. Mário used bright yellow, orange and blue in stark contrast to the dark shades of death. The work is divided in three: flowers representing life, a skeleton depicting death and a celebratory comment.àIntersection Rua da Bica do Sapato and Rua Diogo Couto.
Big Poseidon by Pichi & Avo SANTA APOLÓNIA
Pichi & Avo are a Spanish duo that likes to throw everything into the same pot: classical art and defiant graffiti. And this is exactly what they did in their latest mural in Calçada de Santa Apolónia, Lisbon. They added lots of colour to the recipe and here’s the result – a large sculpted figure covered with tags on the side of a building. The Pichi & Avo style is known for its coarse brush strokes combined with a more intricate design. The mural was created for the “Versus” exhibition at Galeria Underdogs.àCalçada de Santa Apolónia.
Mural by Frederico Draw and Ergo Bandits SÃO BENTO
Street art is characterised by its ephemeral nature and the ease of replacing it with another work by a different artist. And that’s what happened. This is the new work done by the artists Frederico Draw and Ergo Bandits for the official opening of Casa da Cultura de Cabo Verde, in Rua de São Bento, near Largo Hintze Ribeiro.àRua de São Bento.
Big Trash Animals by Bordalo II VARIOUS LOCATIONS
The talented Portuguese artist Bordalo II beat records in his first major solo exhibition. And of course there were plenty of animals from the Big Trash Animals series still roaming free in Lisbon. Two of them are in Beato, where the “Attero” exhibition was held: a giant monkey in Rua de Xabregas and a frog in Rua da Manutenção. Another went to Santos – a giant fox in an abandoned building in Avenida 24 de Julho. But there are more Big Trash Animals around Lisbon: Big Racoon on a wall of the Belém Cultural Centre, Trash Puppy built a month later near the Cabo Ruivo roundabout, a pig in Rua do Rio Douro, a giant bee in LX Factory and a dragonfly in the Infame bar.