Portuguese artist Antonio Carreira aka Pantonio is now in Ukraine where he recently finished a new mural for the project Mural Social Club: Back to school! in the city of Cherkasy following Julien Malland’s (Seth) terrific murals painted a few weeks ago (here).
Pantonio is probably one of the most unique urban artists in Lisbon’s street art scene today being widely known for his animal hybrids and delicate imagery. Dominant in his work is a blue colour palette, often accompanied but earth tones and a sensuous line work that highlights references to nature, the movement of the ocean and the air. Just like this new mural that, painted on the facade of Cherkasy school #15, depicts a group of swallows flying freely through the sky. swallows, that play freely in the sky.
According to Pantonio, the mural makes reference to children’s games, because they are both informal, completely free from burdening thoughts and not restrained by the limits imposed by society. In other words, children are free, adults aren’t.
“For me the white lines are rules and support/columns. Not a bad thing, just the school teaches the rules to learn how to manoeuver it…explanations : ))” – Pantonio
The mural, curated by Julien Malland and Oleg Sosnov, was made possible thanks to the support of Portugal’s Embassy in Ukraine and was partly financed from the funds raised at the charitable sport festival «CherlTy – 2016». Her are a few images of the work.
Mural Social Club is an International Festival of Contemporary Art in the public space with the mission to make art accessible for everybody. By supporting social and cultural initiatives of residents of different cities they aim to promote a decentralisation of the urban culture of the country through the creation of artworks on the outskirts of the capital, as well as in smaller towns.
This year’s festival line-up includes top street art names from Italy, Spain, USA, Ukraine, Portugal, France, Russia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, all of whom are coming to Ukraine to decorate the cities with their artwork. Apart from murals and installations, Mural Social Club Festival also sees a number of indoor exhibitions, as well as an extensive educational program featuring workshops and seminars by renowned street artists.
The festival is organised and initiated by NGO Sky Art Foundation and curated by Oleg Sosnov and Yulia Ostrovska established in Ukraine in Autumn 2014 as a private initiative with the purpose of supporting the development of a new generation of Ukrainian artists, as well as promoting the international cultural exchange and integration of the Ukrainian culture in a broader context. More info on: skyartfound.com
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.
