Urban Art in Portugal: List of Sculptures by Bordalo II

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Who is itBordalo II?
The Portuguese artist Artur Bordalo (1987), known as Bordalo II, became famous for using street garbage to create stunning animal sculptures, with the purpose of alerting people about pollution and all kinds of species that are threatened with extinction. From street art he developed his practice, evolving into what is now considered "trash art". The passion for painting dates back to childhood, whenhe spent hours on end watching his grandfather paint in his studio and also due to the underworld of the city of Lisbon - strongly influenced at the time by graffiti practices. He started spray painting walls on the streets at the age of 11, with the artistic nameBordalo II, in honor and highlight the artistic legacy of his grandfather Artur Real Bordalo (1925-2017). In the painting course at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon, he discovered sculpture, ceramics and began to experiment with the most diverse materials. Since 2012, Artur Bordalo has created around two hundred animal sculptures using over 60 tons of recycled materials. The formerly abandoned objects - the plates, the tires, the doors - in the hands ofBordalo II acquire an aesthetic and communicative function, in the shape of animals. The Portuguese artist wants to represent an image of nature in his works, based on what destroys them - garbage, waste and pollution, clearly expressing a critique of consumerism and offering a sustainable solution. His “Big Trash Animals” installations, spread across various locations around the world - public or museum - scream about the need for socio-ecological sustainability. On the streets of his hometown, a series of works, ”Provocative” and “Train Tracks”, interact with urban fabric and furniture, presenting a new critical look at society, its stakeholders and constraints. These small ephemeral interventions seek to be a vehicle of communication and awareness through art, thus addressing diverse themes, such as pollution, exploitation of women, media sensationalism, connectivity and control, among others. Know here the location of the sculptures ofBordalo II.

1.Big Trash Snails at Monte da Fonte Santa, 2017