Urban Revolution
To hold a paid urban art exhibition inside an artworld-vetted venue, complete with a museum shop on the way out may seem like an oxymoron. Yet this is exactly what we find in Lisbon’s Urban Revolution. Created and heavily promoted by Vhils’ Underdogs agency, this is another step in the artist’s and his team’s process of bringing street art into the fold of the artworld. It can be argued that the main step in that direction was MAAt’s 2022 exhibition Interferências, where in the neutrality of the museum space, urban and established artists mingled into a reflection of the diversity of Lisbon as a city (MAAT, 2022).
Yet in this instance, the roll call is composed entirely of street artists, or rather, artists who had their start in the street. It is less a reflection on the structural imbalances of the city - physical, economical, social - or the role communities have in fighting them and more a standard show of a group of artists whose only connection is an association with a culture of street art - the artists “converge in their skill and commitment to work within the public space” (Foessel, Alonso, 2023). Why these artists in particular, though? The exhibition strives to establish a sort of History of street art, but by focusing on only some of the most well-known artists in Portugal and abroad currently active it falls short on the historic premise. Of course, these are all artists represented by Underdogs, who, ultimately, seeks with the exhibition to promote its artists and drive sales. This is completely legitimate, and would perhaps be a better narrative for the exhibition: after all, all artists with the exception of Martha Cooper (whom we will address later) have created brand new pieces for the show.
These new pieces are more ambiances than artworks. Each artist is allocated a cubical structure in which they can develop their work. It is an elegant solution to a logistical problem: the venue, Cordoaria Nacional, while extensive, could not possibly have enough space for each of these artists to create a bespoke mural, nor would it be viable to let artists paint or, in some instances, destroy walls only to rebuild them after the exhibition is over. In that regard, the individual structures are an elegant and functional solution - creating a “wall” inside the venue which artists can then build upon. However, the overall effect is unusual. Rather than the joyful cacophony of styles and artworks often seen in outside walls, or even the dialogue effect most traditional collective exhibitions strive for, we find an oddly isolated experience. Sure, it allows for greater display space and even freedom for the artist, as well as an immersive experience - which some artists take advantage of, in a rather intelligent way - but it also isolates what works from each other, adding to the idea that this is just a showcase of loosely connected artists rather than a thought-out exhibition.
As we start out, the first artworks we find are Martha Cooper’s photographs, which, in my view, provide a much needed line of thought for the exhibition. Cooper, an American photographer, started out in New York, capturing the birth of graffiti culture and the subsequent development of street art. Her photographs show not only the early street artworks but provide the physical and social context for the development of the culture. Images of the pioneers of graffiti at work are intersped with photos of children playing the street of 1970’s New York or shots of the dilapidation of the city in that time. One can grasp the context into which graffiti and later on street art began, and understand much of these underlying principles. It can be argued that that is also what Cooper’s photographs add to the exhibition: legitimacy. Some of the artists showcased also show up in Cooper’s lens, especially in later photographs, some of which taken during the assembly. It is as though through these photographs, the viewer is guided through a history of the urban art world, a history that now includes these very same artists side by side with the graffiti pioneers - therefore granting them the legitimacy of the urban art world to both add to and counteract the legitimacy of the art world it also seeks.
The first ambience we find builds upon the legacy of graffiti, establishing a bridge between it and urban art. Lee Quinoñes presents us with 3 drawings, which in his style, offer a sort of window into the day to day of a contemporary artist, with some witty sentences here and there. The style and the humour are there but something is missing: the surprise element of catching one of these murals on the street, the sudden jolt that provokes a second thought. That is perhaps what lacks in some of the other more classic graffiti artists, the unexpectedness and rawness of the street. We find the same emptiness in Barry McGee’s setting. Known for visually impactful half psychedelic compositions that fill up the whole field of vision, he seems to have opted for a simpler and less cohesive approach here, like selecting a few of his best designs without much thought of how they could work together. In contrast, for instance, Jason Revok’s ambience while simple is much more impactful. His technique-driven work creates a composition of balanced structure and imperfection which is intriguing yet alluring. Minimalist as it is, we understand the work involved, the process that drives the artwork and that without it could not be created. Swoon’s compassionate, intimate yet powerful portraits also translate well into the indoor space, while OBEY SKTR’s 3D tag was able to cleverly combine elements from graffiti, graphic and letter design and structural design to create a work that was clearly originally from the streets but fully transitioned to the gallery.
Taking the ambience building approach, we find several interesting examples, from AKA Corleone’s introspective deconstruction of a painting (or print), to Add Fuel’s trippy eternal repetition of patterns and even Filipe Pantone’s 3D static. Vhils cleverly used this indoor wall to create some of his trademark relief sculptures, playing with the indoor/outdoor dichotomy in an urban artwork exhibition. It is less tongue-in-cheek but more of an homage to the streets, which we see represented in his work. Both Mr. A and Tamara Alves were able to create dreamy ambiences that took the visitor to another world, the first with elements of fantasy and sci-fi, the latter a deeply introspective view that speaks of female power and the underlying violence it sometimes contains.
The last segment of works bring on the political aspect of street art into the gallery. Art of all types has always been political and most of these works retain most of the strength and impactfulness they would have on the street. Shepard Fairey’s poster plastered ambience envelops us in a way that would be difficult to achieve outside, creating a wall of posters which shout in unison for a better world, as we see the bloom of hope breaking forth from them. Maya Hayuck’s ambience is equally as full and, while not as intense visually - less shouty, perhaps - still envelops us in its colourful embrace while calling our attention to the multiple slogans on display. In contrast, it is the starkness in Wasted Rita’s work, a single sentence in neon in an otherwise empty cube that draws us in and makes us question our whole existence. However, I found MaisMenos’s work the most engaging, perhaps because it was the only one who dared to question the point of this whole endeavour. A series of screens showing Wall Street style quotations and graphics, along with news pieces, interviews and other media about street art, it dares to question if street art has indeed lost its soul or if it is now more powerful and more impactful than ever. Where other artists question society and demand change on a wider, social level, MaisMenos wonders if art, and specifically street art, is not perhaps part of the problem.
I do not have the answer to MaisMenos’s question nor, in fact, does this exhibition. Nor does it have to - it can remain a showcase for artists and nothing more. If one enters into it with that perspective, it becomes an interesting and frankly enjoyable exhibition, with some rather good works by some of the most well established artists in the scene, artists which Underdogs was clever to sign on and promote. The battle for the soul of street art and its validity within the gallery space will have to be addressed another time.
