This is exactly what I was thinking when I signed up for the street art workshop with Yesyoucanspray in Lisbon, Portugal. Why did it take me so long to paint a wall? Who was stopping me and why did I stop myself in the first place?
Street Art has been no stranger to our eyes when we travel or move around in our own city. But how many times have we seen it more than just paint on a wall? Have we ever seen it as a message or an expression of a community less heard of? Graffiti or street art goes beyond just being pretty. It is in the form of Guerrilla Art which is about a personal statement from an artist and the life that comes with it.
I am always fascinated by street art for how it communicates and speaks for the city. A side you are less likely to see on any search engine. A side also no tourism agency or guide would take you towards. But you can be like me sneak into alleys where you can hear the walls speak. Or you can go one step ahead and become a street artist for a day just like I did.
I do a lot of things and I look for activities on the internet that would let me experience the world as a beautiful journey. I came across this workshop while searching for activities in Lisbon, Portugal. I always check if the place and the entire experience is wheelchair accessible. Even if it’s not, a conversation with the organizers can really make a difference not just for me but for other future participants with a disability.
I arrived at the location and met Thiago Goms and Vero who were leading the workshop. Thiago has been an artist for 20 years and he in fact just made that cat on the wall 30 minutes before our arrival. Too much pressure for newbies eh?
He then made us put our thoughts on paper. I immediately struggled with it. You see I am the person who still hasn’t gone beyond drawing a house, a car, a tree and a sun all in one frame and calling it art. And now here I had to paint on a wall. I managed to put something abstract together leaving myself at the mercy of the wall and believing it would evolve as we go on. Well, it did.
I could not really put something simple together so I decide to make a screen that gave away some messages of peace, light, Ying-Yang and love. I didn’t realize my thoughts would actually come out pretty intense on the wall. Especially next to ducks! Which were painted by my fellow participants. But I guess we all live in a strange world.
Street art is just like any other art. You find a blank wall and give it meaning. But then it starts belonging to the city instantly and doesn’t belong to you anymore. I can hide my canvases at home but I can’t hide an entire wall. This is also why I find street artists a bit braver. Also, I have never seen badly done graffiti or street art. Even if it’s all a mess, feel it somehow speaks for the artist. It still stays beautiful.
Street art is just like any other art. You find a blank wall and give it meaning. But then it starts belonging to the city instantly and doesn’t belong to you anymore. I can hide my canvases at home but I can’t hide an entire wall. This is also why I find street artists a bit braver. Also, I have never seen badly done graffiti or street art. Even if it’s all a mess, feel it somehow speaks for the artist. It still stays beautiful.
In the end, I realised the process was a little tiring because of my back and knees but I was so happy to see what I had made. Sounds almost like childbirth. I completely owned the message and realised my thoughts came out in full form. I also realized why it took so long to pick a bag of acrylics and paint a wall. Next time when you can’t bring down a wall. Just paint it!
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