Two years ago Dutch artist duo Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (AKA Haas&Hahn) and their team finished the first two pieces in their Favela Painting project (the charming
Boy With Kite and the epic fish mural designed by tattoo artist Rob Admiraal in Vila Cruzeiro, Rio's most notorious slum) only to embark on their dream piece – to paint an entire hillside favela.
Completed just recently, the
O Morro ('The Hill' in English, but also a term for a slum or favela) project has transformed a dingy, bare-brick square in Santa Marta, a favela in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, into a veritable rainbow. This epic project is 7000 square metres and, like the others, was completed with the help of local youth, who learn the craft and get paid for their work.
The aim is, apart from the above, to transform the favelas into places that residents can be proud of, as well as bringing art to people that might otherwise not have easy access to it. Urhahn says, "it has the potential of working as a catalyst in the processes of social renewal." Rather than just a splash of colour, it could promote pride, empowerment and change.
It's interesting and admirable project that inevitably has its detractors (read: what good does a coat of paint really do?) and you can become involved by donating at
favelapainting.com.
More at
favelapainting.com.