Obey and VHILS has turned Graça into Lisbon’s new street art hub.
OBEY's creator joins Lisbon's art scene
In 2017, Shepard Fairey – OBEY’s mythic creator – exhibited Underdogs Gallery in Marvilla. Most people have forgotten about this exhibition.
Half ‘n’ half. Shepard Fairey (left) vs VHILS (right)
But the walls he did in Lisbon during his visit has slowly but surely become iconic. Especially the two here in Graça .
While the one he did with VHILS is hidden away in Rua da Senhora da Glória 39 has become ‘the secret Obey wall’ among street art aficionados, Obey’s solo wall in R. Natália Correia – his homage to the Carnation Revolution of 25 Revolution – is exposed to a degree that it’s the closest we get to a landmark.
Not only is the wall first thing you see when you enter Graça from Alfarma. It follows you all the way through our hood until you exit at Sapadores. The most impressive and powerful Peace Manifestation you will find in Portugal.
The first aim of phenomenology is to reawaken a sense of wonder about one’s environment. The obey sticker attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the sticker and their relationship with their surroundings.
HOPE
Street Art lovers know Shepard Fairey for his “OBEY” campaign (a lot of people call believe its his name), which he created to provoke people – to make them question their surroundings.
But he is also the behind a vast number of art interventions in the public space: collages, stencilling, mural painting, sculpture…
But his most famous ‘work’ his iconic Obama “Hope” poster in 2008 – at least among people who hasn’t seen his Carnation Wall in in our hood.
Once you’ve seen it – you won’t forget it.