Sao Paulo
I Prefer You Hate Me Than Ignore Me #2
WHOA, WHOA, WHOOOOOAAAAA! This stopped me DEAD in my tracks people. Pixadores (Brazilian equivalent of taggers), have struck a mural in Sao Paulo - arguably the street art capital of the world - and done their thing atop work by graffiti legends such as Os Gemeos, Nina, Nunca et al according to Animal. The mural was part of The Biennial Exhibit which was commisioned by the city of Sao Paulo. As such the mural reads, “R$ 200,000 in makeup, and the city is in calamity,” (That converts to around £66,000 or $111,000.), which is an obvious attack on the choice to commission art when eleven million people ‘live’ (I use the term loosely) in slums on the city’s perimeter.
Now normally tagging over peices would cause serious beefage but this is a different breed of agro. Not your ego-fuelled aggression like what goes down in NYC, but real political statement. Having spent some time in Sao Paulo personally, and discovering what a hideously unjust place Brazil really is, you can’t help but feel remorse. Not for the mural per se, but the ghastly conditions that spawn the need for such demonstrations.
Seriously, Pixação (the tagging style) is fascinating, romantic and heartbreaking. Please, please, PLEASE check the clips I’ve posted. Below is an incredible trailer (check that sounddddd!) for a documentary on Pixação - don’t worry if you don’t understand what’s being said - Y’all vibe with it, I know you will!
And this interview (in English (!)) is with journalist and creator of the above doc, Joao Wainer. He explains brilliantly who the Pixadores are and why they do what they do. In fact, many established street artists feel the plight of the Pixadores so I guess it’s unlikey there will be too much resentment over the defacing of their work. T’is a “Don’t hate the player, hate the game” type-scenario methinks.
“How many artists do you know that risk their life to make art?”
That question just gets to me soooo bad.
God, I miss that place…(: (
(Sasha)
