Thursday 27 April 2017

Portugal: Lisbon's graffiti and street art guide

The Portuguese capital has long held a reputation for eye-catching street art. The city is awash with tags and paste ups thanks to its endless winding alleyways which offer plenty of wall space. This isn't an exhaustive guide, just a few eye-catching spots.

If you are hunting street art royalty, start at Avenida Fontes Peirera de Melo (round the corner from Parque metro station, by the huge gardens where I left my wife and son enjoying the spectacular views). Here you'll find this huge scene by Os Gemeos, the Brazilian twins who've become global graffiti superstars. 


Their work is adjacent with that of Italian artist Blu, whose Big Oil character is sucking the world's resources through a straw. 
I love how the distinctive yellow figure has the slingshotted man clasped. 
The whole block is stunning.


Elsewhere, a trip to the trendy LX Factory provides good finds. Go on Sunday to enjoy the market, it's a short walk from Alcantara-Mar station, which has an impressively decorated subway itself. 









And some more from around the city:

And if you daytrip to Sintra the short, 40 minute, journey from Rossio station provides plenty of more interesting tags. And when you get there, it's an adult's Disneyland: