Lisbon Graffiti: Amoreiras Wall of Fame

Someone said to me, or maybe I read it that this is the biggest graffiti wall in the Iberian Peninsula. I can't be sure of that, neither the length of it, but it is huge!

The Amoreiras Wall of Fame is an open-air art museum situated in the center of Lisbon, between Marquês de Pombal Square and the Amoreiras Shopping Centre. It is located in a big avenue called Conselheiro Fernando de Sousa, and if you appreciate this kind of art, you have to visit this spot.

I have always been attracted to graffiti, probably because of the colors. Sometimes cities can be so gray, so a burst of color is always welcome to me! But there is one kind of graffiti that often amazes me: portraits.

I took my first pictures is this place because of the portrait above. I love it and I really don't understand how come some people say this is not art. These pictures that I took in 2001 were my first pictures with my LC-A, and I can say it was the beginning of a love affair -- I immediately loved the colors I get with its lens!

I often come back to this place to check the new graffiti, and to cry for the ones lost. Graffiti is an ephemeral art, sometimes the author is the one drawing over its own old piece. That's why I feel I have to shoot the ones I like and I'm always coming back!

The Amoreiras Wall of Fame started around 1995 (but there were already some political paintings from the former decades in this wall). It was considered legal by the artists, but I think it was only considered legal by the authorities a few years later.Nowadays, it is supported by the City's Municipality Urban Art Gallery.

Great artists paint here, national and foreigners, like "Aspen" or "Uber", the author of the boy crying.

This graffiti was made in this place because of the contrast with it's surroundings of five star hotels and big lawyer's offices. It's a wealthy part of Lisbon and Uber wanted to make a social statement with it. The graffiti was so respected by everyone working in this kind of art that it lasted for years. People would paint around it but not over it. Well, one day it had to go, that's the nature of this kind of art.

Throughout the years, this wall has been prolific in my favorite kind of graffiti, portraits and also, animals! And I found out another great companion for my graffiti photo shoots, the Horizon Kompakt.

I sometimes check the new works of Amoreiras Wall of Fame when I pass here on the bus, and then I come back to shoot. I was very happy to see what was made lately in the exact same place where the lady of my first pictures was. I'm not sure what is the connection between Einstein and Snoop Doggy but again, great portraits!

Lately, because of the economic situation in Portugal, the graffiti here changed a bit from the social themes and became more about politics and protest. The graffiti with Merkel controlling Portuguese politicians like puppets on the strings was made by Nomen, Slap and Kurtz just before the visit of the Chancellor of Germany, in November 2012.

I will come back here to shoot more for sure and the graffiti are always changing, so this is a never ending location -- drop by my lomohome to see the updates!

written by saidseni on 2013-02-25 #places #art #culture #street #graffiti #politics #street-art #protest #wall #paint #location #city #portraits #select-type-of-location #art-and-culture