UrbanArtistry Presents… Pixadores at CULTPLEX
Tom Grieve, Contributing WriterBook now
UrbanArtistry Presents... Pixadores
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Returning to the newly updated CULTPLEX this November, UrbanArtistry present the latest in their ongoing series of documentary film screenings dedicated to exploring global street art culture. This time they’re heading to Brazil where Pixadores dives into the vast metropolis of São Paulo, finding four friends who live within the city’s hillside favelas.
Djan, William, Biscoito and Ricardo contend with unemployment, poverty, drugs and violence, but find meaning and definition in art. Climbing onto roofs and hanging from balconies, they use bridges and skyscrapers as their canvas, operating with militant precision to produce work that is omnipresent across the city. Cryptic shapes, and charismatic, monochrome lettering are ordered into their own language called pixação.
“We do this so our lives don’t go unnoticed.”
Directed by Amir Arsames Escandari, this 2014 film finds the friends in São Paulo where they risk their lives criss-crossing the city skyline without harnesses or safety nets, writing on buildings as a form of revolt, to be noticed, to not be forgotten. Then in an unexpected twist, the four friends are invited to the Berlin Biennale where they are to demonstrate the work of a Pixadore. The film captures the culture shock as the men experience Europe for the first time and explore what their practice means when they’re granted permission to paint a building.
Expanding on the atmosphere of the film, UrbanArtistry have lined up accompanying DJ sets from DJ DS who will mix graffiti related hip hop with Brazillian flavours.
