Highlights of 2009

As the year is coming to an end, I believe it’s important to remember what has passed by this website along the year and also to make a tradition for the next year to come.
So whether it’s a Portuguese event or a Portuguese artwork, as long as it was done by Portuguese artists even if outside of Portugal, I’m setting here my highlights for the year 2009.
I’ll be splitting this into two categories with the events first, and second the artists who made a bigger fuss in this year! So, carry on inside ladies and gentlemen…

Cascais Artspace

Without a doubt the best event of the year in Portugal, and it didn’t even took place in Lisboa.
Whether you were one of the artists who participated in the event or were just a viewer walking by Cascais, it was a win win situation.
I’ve said it before way ahead of it’s time and this one takes the prize home. If you’re an artist who gets the chance to do a massive billboard to cover a building, plus work with a crew of sculpture guys to build on your artwork, paint inside an old building and make something new and still see some printed stuff at the same time, what more can you ask for? Viewers were presented with a “gallery” inside a building, and with lot’s of artwork spread around Cascais which would make anyone go out and find something new. Even the venue had the local tv crew with drinks and all. What other events should look for…

Montana Shop & Gallery

The most recent spot to open in Lisboa is surely one of my favorites. If all goes well, more and more artists I truly admire from around the world will follow INSA’s path to come and paint in Lisboa, and that my friends is a space we had in need. Thank you for moving in…

VSP 09

Couldn’t let it pass by, as I was almost there from the beginning to the end of this event. A yearly event with a new home every time, that just kept made me coming back, for the constant events they had going on.

Secret Wars

Proof that we can also be the home for international events, as this Secret Wars has been winning more and more fans everyday.

GAU

Galeria de Arte Urbana has probably one of the best concepts to show up recently, to prove that you don’t need to know x or y guy to get your stuff seen massively in a legal way. Pedro Neves is the creator of the project, and I hope it has a new competition soon.

Vhils

The guy was everywhere this year. I mean literally, not just over the papers. Every time I mailed him, he was in a different country. Awesome exhibition and book launch over at Lazarides, been to the Fame Festival, VSP, Griffters, and lot’s of other events, has been called as “the guy who painted with Banksy” and had a massive video featured all over the internets. Big up to Vhils, for being such an active artist out there.

Min

From Porto comes out a girl who’s got mad skills on illustration (she’s Dust la Rock, in a female body), starts her clothing company “The Rivals” with Stray, and is also the art director for JINX record label, which has the Portuguese DMC Champ of the year. All that done this year in Portugal. Say WHAAATTT?!?

Mar

Being that he’s one of my favorite active artists of all time, plus he did lot’s of new works this year having it’s solo shows “Formart”, “Believe in Heroes” and most recently worked on the latest VSP, his name surely had to show up on the list.

Pedro Matos

All of a sudden he’s hitting the streets of Lisboa, Bristol’s galleries, and giving worldwide interviews for magazines and the internet. He’s out there making damages… Expect more from him!

Monster a.k.a. I am from Lx

Freshest national graffiti typography works I’ve seen in a while. Love the wooden patterns he came up with, and was a good surprise to find him involved in the VSP event. FTW

Adres

Admire the works from him, meaning that they are fresh and get to the point of the street-art movement. You might know him for the stencils he’s done saying “Troco Magalhães por Playstation”, but personally I prefer these mattress stencils and the new CGD logo he came up on a play on words. More!

Meeting of Styles

Was actually expecting a lot more from this event. I was hoping it would have more international superstars this time…

Target

I don’t know, this guy just doesn’t convince me. He had it going pretty well for a while, but this year was a complete disaster. Maybe next year… maybe next year…

Conclusion

And to sum it all up, it’s been a growing year for Street-art in Portugal without a doubt.
New artists showing up, new artworks, new exhibitions, new events, so lets wait and see what comes out next year. Catch you all next year!
P.S.: Working on a new design for the website…