Isabella Flores
The Favela Painting project was started by Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (known as Haas&Hahn) in 2006. The project involves community-driven art projects in Brazil that aim to transform the living environment and instill pride in the people. The first painting, Boy with Kite, was completed in 2006 in Vila Cruzeiro, a slum in Rio de Janeiro. The artists worked with local youth and provided training and community immersion. The project is funded by grants, donations, and auctioning artworks, with additional support from the Dutch Ministry of Culture. The ultimate goal of the artists is to paint an entire hillside favela in the center of Rio de Janeiro, transforming the image of the area and empowering the community.
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What You'll Learn
- Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (Haas&Hahn) founded the project
- The artists were inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people of Rio's favelas
- The first artwork, Boy with Kite, was completed in 2006
- The project is community-driven and empowers residents to take part in local development without government involvement
- The project has been replicated in other cities, including Port-au-Prince, Philadelphia, and Gothenburg
Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (Haas&Hahn) founded the project
Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (Haas&Hahn) founded the Favela Painting project. The project is a series of community artworks in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, painted with the help of local people. Koolhaas and Urhahn first visited Vila Cruzeiro, Rio, in 2006 and painted a 150-square-metre mural of a boy with a kite on the wall of one building. This was the first artwork in the project, also called "Boy with Kite", which was completed in 2006. The artists worked with local youth, who were attracted from the Soldados Nunca Mais program of the Ibiss foundation. The painting took three months to finish.
Koolhaas and Urhahn were inspired to start the project after making a film on the hip-hop culture of favelas in Rio de Janeiro in 2005. They were shocked by the conditions of the favelas but also inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people. They wanted to give the residents an opportunity to become painters and call attention to their situation. They also wanted to transform the living environment and instil pride in the people.
The Favela Painting project has continued to develop and transform the image of one of the most notorious favelas in Rio de Janeiro. It has mobilised a community to paint the facades of their houses, creating massive works of art. The project has empowered residents to feel a greater sense of participation in local development without government involvement. The ultimate aim is that the painting of the houses will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration and empowerment of the area, thereby improving people's lives.
The project has faced challenges due to the ongoing conflict between the police and drug gangs, which has led to temporary halts in the work. However, the artists have persevered and relocated to more visible and public places, partly for security reasons and to help create a more positive image for the area. The project has also inspired similar initiatives in other parts of the world, such as in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Philadelphia (USA), Gothenburg (Sweden), and Willemstad (Curacao).
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The artists were inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people of Rio's favelas
The Favela Painting project was started by Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (known as Haas&Hahn). The artists were inspired to begin the project after travelling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2005 to make a film about hip-hop culture in the city's favelas. They were shocked by the conditions in the favelas but also inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people who lived there. They wanted to give the residents an opportunity to become painters and to call attention to their situation.
The artists were particularly struck by the residents' desire to have their houses painted to make them look 'finished'. The once-uniform brick buildings began to blossom with colour, and the residents took pride in their neighbourhood. Koolhaas and Urhahn spent a significant amount of time living in the community, establishing a support network and developing an in-depth local understanding. They worked closely with the local youth, training them as painters and paying them a decent salary.
The first artwork in the project, "Boy with Kite", was completed in 2006 in Vila Cruzeiro, a slum in Rio de Janeiro. The painting took three months to finish and was spread over three buildings facing a football field. The artists returned to Vila Cruzeiro in 2007 to work on another artwork, "Rio Cruzeiro", which depicted huge coloured fish swimming in a blue river. This project included painting a 2000m2 mural that covered a containment wall, a public stairway, a path, and a cement wall.
The ultimate goal of the artists is to paint an entire hillside favela in the centre of Rio. They have since completed several more artworks in the city, including a 7,000 square metre mural in Santa Marta in 2010. The Favela Painting project has had a transformative impact on the image of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro, empowering residents to feel a greater sense of participation in local development and improving the skills and safety of those involved in the painting process.
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The first artwork, Boy with Kite, was completed in 2006
The Favela Painting project is a community artwork initiative in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that was started by Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (known as Haas&Hahn). The project aims to collaborate with local people to create community artwork and empower residents to take part in local development. The first artwork, "Boy with Kite", was completed in 2006 in Vila Cruzeiro, a slum in Rio de Janeiro. This initial artwork was a 150m2 mural spread over three buildings facing a football field. The painting took three months to finish and was created with the help of local youth.
The idea for the Favela Painting project came about when Koolhaas and Urhahn travelled to Rio de Janeiro in 2005 to make a film about hip-hop culture in the favelas. They were inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people they met, but also shocked by the living conditions in the favelas. They wanted to create a project that would give people an opportunity to express themselves through art and call attention to their situation.
"Boy with Kite" was intended to be a symbol for the children of the favela and was chosen as the first artwork for the project to represent this. The artists worked closely with the local community, providing training and paying them for their contributions. This immersive approach allowed them to develop an in-depth understanding of the local dynamics and build a strong connection with the residents.
The Favela Painting project has had a transformative impact on the community in Vila Cruzeiro. It has helped to redefine the area, turning a previously neglected and dangerous place into a dynamic and vibrant community. The project has empowered residents to take ownership of their neighbourhood and feel a sense of pride in their surroundings. The artwork has also attracted tourists to the area, creating jobs and income for the local economy.
Since the completion of "Boy with Kite", the Favela Painting project has continued to create more artworks in Vila Cruzeiro and other areas of Rio de Janeiro. The artists' ultimate goal is to paint an entire hillside favela in the centre of the city.
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The project is community-driven and empowers residents to take part in local development without government involvement
The Favela Painting project is a community-driven initiative that empowers residents to take part in local development without government involvement. The project, led by Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (known as Haas&Hahn), aims to transform the living environment and instill pride in the people of Rio de Janeiro's favelas.
The project involves painting the facades of houses in the favelas, creating massive works of art. The idea was inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people of Rio's favelas, as well as the shocking conditions in which they lived. Koolhaas and Urhahn wanted to give the residents an opportunity to become painters and call attention to their situation.
The artists worked closely with the community, training them in painting techniques and paying them a decent salary for their work. The designs for the paintings were developed in collaboration with the local community, with all residents given the chance to be involved. This included training in plastering, as the bare brick houses had to be repaired and rendered before they could be painted. The project has also provided professional development opportunities, with training sessions on topics such as "Working at Heights" and "Painting Techniques".
The ultimate goal of the artists is to paint an entire hillside favela in the center of Rio de Janeiro. They believe that the painting of the houses will act as a catalyst for the wider regeneration and empowerment of the area, improving the lives of the residents. The project has already had a transformative impact, mobilizing a community and turning a no-go area into a dynamic community. It has also attracted tourists to the favelas, creating jobs and income.
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The project has been replicated in other cities, including Port-au-Prince, Philadelphia, and Gothenburg
The Favela Painting project has inspired similar initiatives in other cities worldwide. The project's methodology, which involves community members in the transformation of their own neighbourhoods, has been replicated in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Philadelphia, USA, and Gothenburg, Sweden.
In Port-au-Prince, the "Germen Crew" project painted an entire informal settlement in Pachuca City, taking inspiration from the Favela Painting project. This involved local residents in the transformation of their own neighbourhood, mirroring the approach taken in Rio de Janeiro.
In Philadelphia, Haas&Hahn, the artist duo behind the original Favela Painting project, painted a street in Northern Philadelphia. Their work in the city built on the community-driven approach they had developed in Brazil, empowering local residents to take ownership of their neighbourhood's development.
The project in Gothenburg, Sweden, followed a similar model, with local residents collaborating on the design and execution of the artwork. This process of community engagement and co-creation has been a key aspect of the Favela Painting project's replication in other cities.
The success of the Favela Painting project and its subsequent replication in other cities have demonstrated the power of community art to drive social change. By involving local residents in the creative process and giving them a sense of ownership over their neighbourhoods, these projects have fostered pride and empowerment within communities that were once stigmatised and marginalised.
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Frequently asked questions
Dutch artists Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn (Haas&Hahn) founded the project after initially visiting Rio de Janeiro to make a film about hip-hop culture in the city's favelas. They were inspired by the creativity and optimism of the people they met, but also shocked by the conditions in which they lived. They decided to create community-driven art projects that would "transform the living environment and instill pride in the people".
The first artwork completed as part of the Favela Painting project was "Boy with Kite", a 150m2 mural spread over three buildings facing a football field in Vila Cruzeiro, Rio de Janeiro. The artists worked with local youth from the Soldados Nunca Mais program of the Ibiss foundation to complete the painting in 2006.
The ultimate goal of the artists is to paint an entire hillside favela in the centre of Rio de Janeiro. The project aims to empower residents to take part in local development and feel a sense of pride in their neighbourhood. It also seeks to regenerate and empower the wider community, improve people's lives, and create jobs and income by attracting tourists to the area.
