It’s amazing how much you can learn from a city simply by looking around and paying attention to small details. Through Porto street art, you will get to know some of the city’s most famous residents, symbols, and how much its locals cherish individual and artistic expression. Be ready for a different type of exhibition tour where the streets will be your guides and the murals are the canvas. Because here, walls can talk.
PORTO STREET ART PIECES YOU’LL DEFINITELY WANT TO CHECK:
MURAL DA TRINDADE
Photo courtesy of: MrDheo
After the city’s former mayor received major heat for covering most wall paintings in Porto, a special project was commissioned once the new executive took the office. Mr. Dheo and Hazul, two of the most prominent street artists in Porto, were hired to create a special artwork covering a parking slot wall right next to Trindade. While Hazul went for a more abstract approach and created what seems like a female round shape, Mr. Dheo was far more realistic, portraying his father holding a mini-version of Torre dos Clérigos.
Rua Alferes Malheiro/Rua do Bonjardim
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LANDSCAPE
Photo by: Susana Neves
When a contest was held to choose which project would be applied into the renovation of local theatre Teatro Carlos Alberto, the experienced art graduate Martinha Maia decided to try her luck in the urban scene. After a thorough process where 36 different works were carefully examined, she came out victorious with a piece that, just like its name suggests, fits into the surrounding landscape and the building’s architecture.
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ANIKI BOBÓ
Photo courtesy of: MrDheo
This one is quite special! Located at Avenida dos Aliados, in the heart of the city, it portrays the two main characters in Aniki Bobó. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a 1942 movie that takes place in Porto, and it was produced by the oldest director ever to shoot a motion picture: the great-late Manoel de Oliveira, a Portuguese cultural icon. With this piece, Mr. Dheo seeks to honour the city’s past, while at the same satirizing modern times, depicting how the movie rivalry between the two represented characters would have likely been solved nowadays. However, keep in mind current renovation works might not allow you to check out this piece, which is why we also recommend taking a look at Mr. Dheo’s ironic “Modern Religion”, located right next to Francos metro station.
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RUA DE DIOGO BRANDÃO
Photo by: João Garcia
Bow down when in the presence of such an historic piece, as this was the very first legal mural in Porto! Located in the popular Porto Art District, this nameless work commissioned by cultural organization Circus and painted by artists Mots, Mesk and Fedor portrays the three main characters from the popular Spanish book D. Quixote de la Mancha.
Rua de Diogo Brandão/Rua de Miguel Bombarda
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PERSPÉNTICO
Photo courtesy of: Porto Lazer
Located at Rua Afonso Martins Alho, dubbed the smallest street in Porto, this giant blue painting of a cat was created by Spanish artist LIQEN. Much like the depicted animal, it’s meant to show Porto as an agile city, a place constantly on the move that is more alive than it’s ever been. A beautiful tribute to our city, from abroad.
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Rua Afonso Martins Alho/Rua das Flores
MURAL COLECTIVO DA RESTAURAÇÃO
Photo courtesy of: Porto Lazer
A rotating exhibition where new works are unveiled every 6 months, this collective 70-meters long mural is a proof of how much the local street art scene has amassed a cult following over the last couple of years. Displaying a mix of works from well-established names with pieces from new up-and-coming artists, each performer is assigned a wall section where they’re free to create whatever they like.
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URBAN FRAMES
Photo by: Nuno Carvalho
With countless pieces scattered across Rua de Cedofeita, Urban Frames was a project in which local artists were asked to paint the rolling grill shutters of several stores located along this pedestrian street. Although there were all kinds of skilled people taking part in this project, we chose to highlight the work of Lara Luís, an insanely talented illustrator who keeps knocking doors down and leaving an impression in a mainly male (for now!) world.
Rua de Cedofeita/Rua Sacadura Cabral
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AN.FI.TRI.ÃO
Photo by: Nuno Carvalho
With a name that means HOST, this very personal work by Frederico Draw portrays the artist’s actual grandfather, a Porto native, and how he would happily welcome his grandson into the city every time he paid him a visit. Located right next to Ponte D. Luís I, it honours the famous hospitality of the city and its people.
MIRA
Photo by: Nuno Carvalho
Located at Rua Nova da Alfândega, this work by Daniel Eime tries to give a voice to the city’s elderly population, particularly to the often forgotten ones living in the nearby area of Ribeira. However, many also speculate this might be a tribute to Agustina Bessa Luís, due to the striking resemblance between the depicted old-lady and the Porto author.
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LOOK AT PORTO
Photo by: Nuno Carvalho
Although not a graffiti per se, this is yet another fantastic work by Lisbon-based Vhils, one of the most famous street artists in the country. Following his signature method, this drawing of an eye contemplating the Douro and its historic neighbourhoods is chipped away directly from the wall, instead of being simply painted over.
So what is your favourite Porto street art piece? Did we miss any major work? Let us know!
