This Is It: Street Art And The King Of Pop In Sao Paulo

It’s been a while since the sudden death of the “King of Pop”, but he’s still being constantly remembered throughout the globe – especially inn São Paulo.

After some strange attempts of paying tribute to Michael Jackson, such as a politician who proposed renaming Ibirapuera Park (one of the city’s dearest symbols) after the singer, it seems that São Paulo’s Metropolitan Railway Company (CPTM) got it right by inviting six talented graffiti artists to display their interpretation of the superstar in five train stations throughout the city. Artwork from Bonga, Nossa, Dingos, Mauro, Graphis and Binho will be displayed in the Pirituba, Mooca, Carapicuíba, Osasco and Brás stations for 2 months. The initiative is supported by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, responsible for Michael Jackson’s “This is It” DVD, and Colorgin, which provided the paint for the artists

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Embracing street art institutionally is a bold move for a public company, particularly one that used to struggle to keep its walls “clean”. To put these artists in the spotlight helps to support their work, showing that one can escape the harshness of poverty through cultural production. This homage to Michael Jackson is part of the CPTM’s Open Air Art Gallery project, which started in May 2009 and aims to promote the social inclusion of youngsters who live in the center of the city. To support the initiative, an area of about 200m² was transformed into a public art production. In a country where, a few years ago, every poor boy dreamed of becoming a soccer player to have a decent life, options are fortunately getting broader.