VOL. GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
03|
2014
VHILS UNDERDOGS OS LUSÍADAS REVISITED BLUE WALL FACES PROJECT
GAU| GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
ON THE WALLS…
“OS LUSÍADAS” REVISITED We are near the Tagus River, from where the Portuguese Discoveries departed in the 16th century, at a wall located at India Avenue. India, by coincidence or not, was the country for which Portugal found the sea route. Then the artistic duo “ARM Collective” did their plastic interpretation of the major work of the Portuguese epic poetry and “Os Lusíadas” emerged revisited by the ingenuity and art of the writers RAM and MAR. Besides this artistic interventions through the old wall, these composition also illustrate the paper edition of the Portuguese literature masterpiece, all accompanied by an evocative tale of the national recognized author José Luís Peixoto. This initiative celebrates the 20 years of Visão magazine, in a partnership with the Urban Art Gallery.
03|
VOL.
2014
Índia Avenue | 38°41’48” N 9°11’45” W
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
BETWEEN WORDS AND SILENCE Streets are always running through words and silence. Moments made up of letters, were inscribed at São Bento Street, in an initiative of urban art integrated in the program of “TODOS” Festival, which had the support of GAU and EDP Distribution. For a landscape that we don’t want to be indifferent and authored by Corleone and I’m from Lisboa, the work evokes the origin of calligraphic graffiti, in which the writer drew his tag and translate visually some of the languages that coexist in this part of town - Creole, Croatian, Hindi and Portuguese. Besides the wall, electricity technical cabinets were intervened with pieces of urban art, also within this heritage and ritual of calligraphy, in line with the subject of the festival and describing a walk of cultures. São Bento Street | 38°43’5” N 9°9’20” W
THE LIZARD OF PENHA DE FRANÇA After a competition launched in partnership by GAU and the Parish of Penha de França, a piece of street art entitled “The Lizard of Penha de França” was made at a wall located in the top of Poço dos Negros Sidewalk. The art work is dedicated to the legend associated to the history of this place. Authored by Leonor Brilha, the wall reveals the richness of the discourse of the artist and provides multiple readings, emphasizing the care with which the piece was integrated into the surrounding landscape and cultural heritage.Afterwards, urban art workshops were organized in the Municipal Library of Penha de França, for students of primary schools of the area. “Lizard, lizard, lizard!” was the motto for the set of activities that generated smiles and awakened their awareness towards urban art, from these little residents. Poço dos Mouros Sidewalk | 38°43’48” N 9°7’51” W
3|
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
ON THE WALLS‌
BLUE WALL FACES PROJECT The faces of the blue wall continue to emerge, in this intervention promoted by GAU, in partnership with Lisbon’s Psychiatric Hospital Center (CHPL), project that already has 6 editions. We disclose the images of the street art pieces produced in the last three phases of the initiative. On the west side of the wall, 13 artworks made last June, were followed in August by a Hall of Fame, produced in collaboration with national and international writers. Finally, during the month of November, a new phase of this project was launched, on the eastern side of the wall, with nine new works made by artists of the street art feminine universe.
03|
VOL.
2014
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
Drawing Jesus, Nicolae Negura, Jaime Ferraz, Ivan Carvalho, Uivo and João Varela
Maio, Hugo Lucas and Sphiza
Edis One, Tinta Crua, Ephy23, Ricardo Béu and Opeo
Adnate, Morta and Pariz| Murtas Street | 38°45’38” N 9°8’53” W
5|
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
ON THE WALLS…
ROSTOS DO MURO AZUL
Vanessa Teodoro
Maria Imaginário
Glam
Sushi Moa
Leonor Brilha
Mariana Dias Coutinho
Ephy.23
Tamara Alves
Wasted Rita
ALCANTARA UNDERGROUND CROSSWALK The artistic project of the Urban Art Portuguese Association - APAURB - in Alcantara’s Underground Crosswalk, has the active participation of a wide range of national and international writers, graffiti and street art creators and many volunteers who have been printing their contribution to the regeneration of this area, since August.
APAURB
José Carvalho
03|
VOL.
2014
Kat
APAURB | Alcântara | 38°42’10” N 9°10’28” W
Interesni Kazki | Olegário Mariano Square | 38°43’52” N 9°7’59” W | ©Underdogs (www.under-dogs.net) – photos by courtesy of the artist
±MAISMENOS± | Forças Armadas Avenue | 38°44’43” N 9°9’43” W
±MAISMENOS± | Vitorino Damásio Square| 38°42’28” N 9°9’13” W
Cyrcle| Brunos Cross Street | 38°42’16” N 9°10’0” W
Pixel Pancho & Vhils | Jardim do Tabaco | 38°42’36” N 9°7’41” W
Pixelpancho| Conselheiro Mariano de Carvalho Street | 38°46’7” N 9°6’4” W
How and Nosm | Av.da Índia | 38°42’6” N 9°10’36” W
How and Nosm| India Avenue | 38°44’0” N 9°10’13” W
How and Nosm| Inácio Pardelhas Sanchez Street | 38°42’6” N 9°10’36” W
Cyrcle| Conselheiro Mariano de Carvalho Street | 38°46’7” N 9°6’7” W
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
INTERVIEW WITH …
VHILS It has been a while since we have been following and supporting the work of Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. We saw it brew his visual discourse, its creative principles, transgressing street art thresholds, overcome many boundaries, globally expanding his work, reaching heights of notoriety, but always, always with an attention to the other, with a social conscience and with concern over public space that has guided not only his own work but also developing projects with and for other artists. Such is the case of Underdogs. On a promised return to Lisbon, Vhils project appeared on the streets of the city during the year of 2013, with pieces of Interesni Kazki (UC), Cyrcle (U.S.), Pixel Pancho (IT) in tandem with Vhils, ±MaisMenos ± (PT) and How and Nosm (ES). The poster of this volume III of GAU’s magazine is entirely devoted to them and it is clear the diversity, the richness, the consistency of their interventions, a undeniable contribution to the artistic revitalization of urban living. Vhils, we wish next year comes with many other initiatives, because we are here to support them. - Do you want to recreate the moment a year ago and present us the UNDERDOGS 2013 PROJECT, as if it was the first time? The idea of reviving the Underdogs project after the work conducted in 2010 and 2011, appeared sometime between me and Pauline Foessel. We proposed the idea and, with your good feedback, we decided to move to the adventure that was the project in 2013. The original idea was to create a project that was sustainable by itself, with murals, publications and exhibitions in Lisbon. We didn’t want it to be just a gallery in the traditional sense, but a platform that besides exhibitions could also give the city new artistic interventions in the field, capable of ennobling the public space, also releasing silkscreen editions from the artists we work with and accessible to their followers and other stakeholders, which also helped making this project sustainable. Another of our bets is to promote the visual culture of Lisbon, near the foreign guest artists, from cobblestone, to traditional tiles and other elements and industries that contribute to make this city unique. For the Portuguese artists, the challenge is to give them space to develop and mature their projects, not only in Portugal but also helping to promote their internationalization. Without your support it would have been impossible to implement this project and, therefore, we owe a deep gratitude to the tireless team of the Cultural Heritage Department of Lisbon’s Municipality that has recognized and supported the work that has been done by all artists who want a city more humane and peaceful, investing in this new cultural heritage of Lisbon. - Can you tell us about the curatorial process for the project? How did you meet these artists? What led you to choose them for this edition? The curatorship process was developed in partnership with Pauline Foessel. Together we decided to bet on foreign artists that we considered already had a recognized international work, and that could enrich the cultural life of the city with their work, as well as Portuguese artists that we believe whose artistic background justified the widespread support in order to promote their works, not only over here, but also abroad. Although they were all selected for the validity of their work some of these art-
Pixelpancho | Jardim do Tabaco | 38°42’36” N 9°7’41” W
ists were already our friends, others we get to know only after this invitation to visit our beautiful city, and became friends of the project as of Lisbon and the country. - What’s your opinion about the various pieces of urban art pursued and their relationship with the city space? At a time when the public space of cities seems to miss the importance it once had in social and communal life of its inhabitants, where socialization seems to develop in places of commercial nature or in social networks and other online spaces, it seems immensely important to contribute to revitalize their relationship with citizens, helping to foster their participation in the management, maintenance and embellishment. We think it is important that public space increases its activities for citizens, and that the visual space of the city can have more participation of the inhabitants who live there. We believe that this eminently social space should not only be used for signing and advertising, but rather be enhanced to make it more humane with the work of artists and others who can make a valuable contribution in this direction. Our idea here is to harness and capitalize a creative energy that already exists in these places spontaneously, but giving them support and framework which allows a better use of their skills. We believe that our work this year of 2013 in Lisbon presents a very positive outcome for both the city and its inhabitants and to the artists. We sense this in the huge reactions we received throughout the year, both by the national and foreign press, as experts, interested, curious and others. Again, without the visionary approach, but at the same time pragmatic that this Municipality’s Department has been able to embrace, enjoy and encourage this new creative energy, the gain would not have had this dimension. A project of this nature only makes sense with this interaction, and we believe that part of the return is also seen in the way the city has been promoted not only in the rest of the country but also abroad. - What are you planning for 2014? Several surprises, including some to Lisbon, but if disclose them now they would no longer be a surprise.
11|
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
MORE ON THE WALLS…
THE BARGE In the programming of the “Assalto a Lisboa” [“Lisbon’s Assault”] initiative organized by BLX - Municipal Libraries of Lisbon, the writer MOSAIK held a work of urban art in the walls of the garden of the City’s Museum entitled “The Barge” and evocative of S. Vincent’s legend, saint patron of Lisbon. The artist also coached the urban art’s workshop “A Parede é tua! Queres pintá-la?!“ [“The Wall is yours! Do you want to paint it?!”] at the sound of the DJ set from Beats & News duo, challenging children and youth participants to know and experience the world of graffiti and street art. City Museum, Campo Grande | 38°45’31” N 9°9’26” W
INSOLITUS If we pass by Olival Street, nothing seems to have happened. However, when we look more closely, the intervention of Mariana Dias Coutinho comes cloaked in a wall. In full respect for the support, the author appropriated the nature and condition of the wall itself: first, a cloud, then the foam of a wave, then a foot, a few hands, bodies and many many faces. The project had the support from GAU and was executed in the context of the exhibition “Insolitus” held in “ME108” Gallery and promoted by APAURB - Urban Art Portuguese Association. Olival Street | 38°42’21” N 9°9’40” W
CPLP MURAL
Professor Fernando da Fonseca Street | 38°45’42” N 9°9’55” W
The “2ª Conferência sobre o Futuro da Língua Portuguesa no Sistema Mundial” [2nd Conference on the Future of Portuguese Language in the World System], took place in Lisbon last year, and integrated a unique component of urban art, as part of its extensive program. We are pleased the city now hosts a piece of urban art that celebrates the importance
03|
VOL.
2014
and the role of the future of the Portuguese language. In response to the challenge issued by the CPLP - Community of Portuguese Language Countries and by the Instituto Camões, GAU invited writers who had a link to the countries of this linguistic community, namely: NARK, NOMEN and YOUTH ONE, to produce a mural located in Telheiras.
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
MEGAFONE
LECTURES
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
IV Tourism Congress “Future Scenarios”, O rganized by the students and teachers of the 11th year of Tourism Course from Carcavelos High School, Cascais Cultural Centre, April 2013.
Urban Art Gallery on Fête de l’Europe in Paris In this event that happened in May, the Portuguese representation in the world of street art was assured by GAU, with the presence of the national writer, Smile, who held a piece of urban art in collaboration with the French writer DaCruz. The joint urban art work evokes the 15th anniversary of friendship treaty between the cities of Lisbon and Paris.
Seminar “Culture and Creativity as factors for Development”, By AUDAX - Center for Entrepreneurship at ISCTE-IUL University, within its Advanced Training Programme in Cultural and Creative Industries Entrepreneurship – Creative DNA, April 2013. Colloquium “Art in public space - Urban Regeneration through artistic intervention” Project “Entre Margens, Organized by the Cultural Association Procur.arte and sponsored by Douro Museums Foundation, Vila Real, May 2013. Seminar “Bairro Alto: 500 years of daily life”, Organized by the Heritage Studies Section of the Geographical Society of Lisbon, on its premises, in May 2013. Open class Within the Masters Degree in Architecture from ISCTE, organized by Professor Pedro Costa, ISCTE, September 2013. Conference “From Graffiti: The Past and Present of an Expression of Risk” At the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Lisbon, organized by Professor José Quaresma, September 2013. Conference on urban art in Lusíada University of Lisbon, within the research project “The materials of architecture,” moderated by Professor Rodrigo Ollero, October 2013. Seminar on urban art, Under the Master Course in Culture and Communication of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of University of Lisbon, organized by Professor Teresa Malafaia, October 2013. Meeting of technicians from Lisbon’s Municipality, Presentation “Gallery of Urban Art - Five Years Later ...”, organized by the Lisbon’s Municipality Training and Development Department, Lisbon Forum, October 2013. Workshop “Building Business Models in the Creative and Cultural Sector”, Organized by AUDAX - Center for Entrepreneurship, ISCTE-IUL University, elapsed under “Festival IN”, Lisbon International Fair, November 2013. Seminar “Urban Art, Continents and Borders” at the Institute of Social Sciences, organized by the Coordination Committee of Luso-Brazilian Research Network for Arts and Urban Interventions, November 2013.
Seminário Arte Urbana: Continentes e Fronteiras No Instituto de Ciências Sociais, organizado pela Coordenação da Rede de Pesquisa Luso-Brasileira em Artes e Intervenções Urbanas, novembro 2013. Galeria de Arte Urbana na Fête de l’Europe em Paris Neste evento ocorrido em maio, a representação portuguesa no universo da street art, foi assegurada pela GAU, com a presença do writer nacional Smile, que realizou uma peça de arte urbana em conjunto com o writer francês DaCruz. A obra conjunta evoca os 15 anos do tratado de amizade entre as cidades de Lisboa e Paris. GAU in the Conference on Graffiti in Toulouse: A la rencontre du Graffiti ... Lisbone, Zaragoza, Bologne This conference gathered last May, experts from Lisbon, Bologna and Zaragoza. The GAU team presented the project developed by Lisbon’s Municipality for valuing of these urban expressions. The meeting also included a tour of urban art, in which it was possible to visit some of the most emblematic places of the graffiti done in this city. Lisbon’s Study Visit During his visit to Lisbon in July 2013, by a member of the European Network of Intercultural Cities Council of Europe, Robin Wilson, an expert in the area of intercultural development strategies of cities, GAU promoted a tour to the most iconic pieces of urban art in the city.
EVENTS | EXHIBITIONS GAU @ Municipal Booksjop The thematic storefront, from Municipal Bookshop for this summer was dedicated to graffiti and street art, showing two pieces authored by MAR, specific materials and instruments of this type of artistic expression, as well as two volumes of this magazine, the commemorative book of three years of work from the gallery, accompanied by the book of the urban art researcher Ricardo Campos “Porque Pintamos a Cidade?” [“Why do we paint the city?”] Participation in Jury Alongside the prestigious writers KLIT and NOMEN, GAU was once again invited to join the Jury of Almada’s Municipality Graffiti Competition, organized by the Youth Division of this County. In this 4th edition, the winner in the individual category was Mojojojo and the winners in the crew category were the crew “Alpinistas Descalços (Argolas and Mangas)”.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM A guided tour of urban art was held in the Bairro Alto district, organized by PAFF - Portuguese Association of Photographic Art with GAU’s support.
13|
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
…BEYOND THE WALLS
RECYCLE YOUR SIGHT The 6th edition of the Recycle Your Sight project, done in July 2013, included the completion of 13 artistic interventions in recycle glass containers. In October took place the latest phase of this initiative, which resulted from a challenge issued by the Lisbon’s Municipality Department of Urban Hygiene, in the context of the installation of 30 new recycle glass containers at Parque das Nações. The event was supported Graff Beast Store and took the form of a contest allusive to the Oceans topic. The proposals of six artists were selected and after the works were submitted to a vote on GAU’s facebook page. The winner was the work of Fabio Colaço.
03|
VOL.
2014
Nicolae Negura| © photos by courtesy of the artist
William Hawckey| © photos by courtesy of the artist
Tinta Crua
Miguem Brum
RAM
Fábio Colaço
Hugo Lucas
Vitor Santos
GAU|GALERIA DE ARTE URBANA
COME RIDE WITH US
CONTENTORES PROJECT A container landed at Missas Yard, in Belém. Do not be alarmed because the idea was from Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, in the context of the 5th edition of “Contentores Lisboa” project, attended again in the city with the support of the Municipality of Lisbon. Accompanied by other notable authors of the Portuguese artistic production, as Pedro Cabrita Reis and Jorge Molder, Vhils decided to take ownership of a container as a plastic element, cutting and depositing it on the ground, a gesture that has given this piece a sculptural and unique nature within the exhibition.
Contentores Lisboa - Missas Yard | 38°41’43” N 9°12’0” W
PUBLICATIONS Title: Abstract Graffiti Author: Cedar Lewisohn “In recent years, graffiti has embraced a fresh, ‘abstract’ approach to art on the street, transforming the urban landscape. Featuring over 160 photographs of new work in cities worldwide, as well as interviews with those involved in all aspects of the art form, Abstract Graffiti provides a fascinating overview of the trends and styles at the outer limits of global street art.” Title: Graffiti and Street Art Author: Anna Wacławek “In this incisive and accessible survey, Anna Wacławek traces the origins an evolution of graffiti and street art, and explores the motivations and practices of the leading exponents. (…) The picture that emerges is a rich celebration of graffiti and street art as the defining art movement of the twenty-first century.” Come Ride with Us - Infante Dom Henrique Avenue | 38°42’54” N 9°7’15” W
To signal the opening of the section of cycling path that links the area of Santa Apolonia to the Parque das Nações, by Miguel Ayako was invited to enroll in the pavement, a piece of urban art alluding to this subject.In the words of the author, the work, which had the support of FPCUB - Portuguese Federation of Cycling and Bicycle Users, seeks to enhance and evoke “the pleasure of feeling the wind, the freedom that you feel when traveling by bike, unique sensations, sensations that improve when the environment around us is nice (...) “.
Title: Beyond the Street – The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art Editors: Patrick Nguyen e Stuart Mackenzie “There is no such thing as urban art or street art – only art itself. And art is generally defined by what is shown in museums. In this sense, the work presented in this book is caught in limbo, halfway between its long-overdue public recognition as art and its equally essential street credibility. After all, the streets were the original show-place in which this art was born and where it continues to work so well.”
15|
03|
VOL.
2014
EDITORIAL
TO BE CONTINUED...
“A bit of fragrance always stays in the hands of anyone who offers flowers.” Chinese Proverb
And finally we will complete the triptych “Living Nature”. After the artistic interventions of Setúbal and Alfragide, both in commercial spaces Alegro, managed by Immochan group that has promoted and supported this project of urban art, we arrive to the two pillars of “25 de Abril” Bridge, near Alcântara. In these monumental concrete elements, the set of seven artists will make a forest arise in a fantastic universe. Everything will be published in the next issue of the magazine GAU. For soon, we will launch a tender for the blue wall in the Psychiatric Hospital of Lisbon. Continuing the previous interventions, the GAU will open a call for individual or crews / groups interested in developing the usual theme of the face, the self-portrait and figurative proposals.
In recent months, the city of Lisbon continued to host a wide range of projects dedicated to urban art, whether involving Portuguese authors or some of the most recognized internationally creators, as is evident in this third volume of GAU’s magazine. Among the initiatives, we not only highlight the vast scale that the blue begins to take in the Psychiatric Hospital of Lisbon wall, the artistic intervention of the Urban Art Portuguese Association in Alcantara’s Underground Crosswalk, the wall and technical cabinets executed in the context of Festival “TODOS” and also an illustrative mural of “Os Lusíadas”. All these projects were developed by partners who view urban art as a possibility of plastic revitalization of their own heritage and of the city, or as a contemporary manifestation that can even evoke up a distant cultural heritage. We also highlight the project “Underdogs 2013,” a platform developed by Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, which associates an exhibition component to an aspect of artistic production in public space, and involved in this edition a national creator and a core of foreign artists of remarkable prestige. The intervened areas are geographically diversified along the city, since pieces of street art have been made in several areas: in the north-east, in the waterfront, in the central area and also in the west side. In short, Lisbon has been asserting as one friendly city towards urban art, which is fortunate to welcome into its midst a group of people of great generosity who constantly offer her flowers, so we wish its scent lasts for a long time. THANK YOU.
Jorge Ramos de Carvalho
Alegro Shopping Center in Alfragide | 38°43’37” N 9°13’4” W
FICHA TÉCNICA GAU vol 03 - January 2014 Publication of Urban Art Gallery Edition of the Lisbon Municipallity Cultural Council of Lisbon Municipallity Municipal Direction of Culture Department of Cultural Heritage Director - Jorge Ramos de Carvalho Associate Director - Sílvia Câmara Copywriting - Inês Machado, Miguel Carrelo, Luís Pousinho, Sílvia Câmara Graphic Design - GAU Design – Tiago Morais | Cultural Promotion and Communication Division Translation – Inês Machado Secretariat - Gracinda Ribeiro Cover photo - © José Vicente| DPC
CML 2013 Corleone e I’m from Lisboa Festival Todos Photos “Recycle Your Sight” Parque das Nações-©Miguel Carrelo DPC|CML 2013 Other photos - © JoséVicente | DPC CML 2013 (except where indicated) Print - Novagráfica do Cartaxo Print Run - 1300 exemplares Type font - Helvética|MrsEavesXLSerNar ISSN - 2182 – 777X Legal Deposit – 351671/12 Distribution - Free Contacts - Rua do Machadinho, nº 20, 1249-150 Lisboa| telef. 21 8171945 gau@cm-lisboa.pt