Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto also known as Vhils was recently in Loures, Portugal where he, in collaboration with members of the community, created this wonderful mural in the streets of Quinta do Mocho.
The mural was created for “O Bairro i o Mundo”, a project “that wants to change the image of territories marked by stigma as social housing areas are. It involves the artistic qualification of buildings, rehabilitation of public space and community facilities and mobilizing residents to increase the sense of community”, and is according to the artist an integral collaboration with the community from its conception and composition to its production and creation.
The mural, created using photographs, posters and newspaper, intends to depict the history of Quinta do Mocho, a community born in the 80s in an abandoned building that was occupied by hundreds of African families, that in the 90s, where displaced in order to build the so-called Bridge terraces urbanization, resettling in this way more than 500 families.
The mural is inspired by the history of the place but also the experiences of its residents in their daily lives, talents and dreams.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
