Reverse graffiti

Alexandre Orion is a São Paulo visual artist whose work fuses social commentary, art and activism. One of his most celebrated projects Ossário took place in the Max Feffer tunnel, a major artery through the city. Orion’s technique of ‘reverse graffiti’ uses pollution as its raw material. Removing layers of black soot which is the build up of exhaust fumes on the tunnel walls, Orion drew hundreds of skulls in a continuous line over 160 meters long. As a comment on the heavily contaminated environment of the city his action resonated beyond the art world. Even as he worked, the city’s police arrived on the scene but, as Orion notes “They could not stop me drawing skulls on the tunnel. ‘Cleaning’ is not a crime.” The municipal response was to obliterate Orion’s art, which meant cleaning the tunnel, but initially only the part where he had drawn. When he continued his work in the areas left covered in soot they finally cleaned the entire tunnel and eventually went on to clean every tunnel in the city.

Reverse Graffiti : Ossario : Alexandre Orion. Soundtrack by Instituto

www.alexandreorion.com

Jody Gillett

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