Boa Mistura – Floating Graffiti

Boa Mistura, a spanish art collective composed of five self-described graffiti rockers, has organized a participatory urban art
project in Vila Brâsilandia, one of the favelas in São Paulo, Brazil. The artists, whose name comes from the portuguese for ‘buena mezcla’ (‘good mixture’), worked with residents to paint and reface the winding ‘vecos’ and ‘vielas’ of the favela with uplifting messages. Viewed from the proper angle and distance, the works cause words like ‘beleza’ (‘beauty’) and ‘orgulho’ (‘pride’) to seemingly float in the passageway, thanks to an illusion effect based on the careful painting of stretched-out text in accordance with the 3D perspective. The artists hope that the project will have a positive impact on the local community. “Neighbour participation and community involvement in each of the interventions has been the determining factor for its realisation. Sharing, hand by hand, the transformation of their environment, the habitants modified their relationship with the public space and their own houses,” they said.

Beauty

Pride

Sweetness

Firmness

Love