Following a controversial report on World Youth Day spending and stance on bullfighting, Bordalo II once again used art to criticize current issues. To express his opinion about the housing crisis, the artist created “Rua da Angustia”, on which he installed four tents that imitate typical Lisbon buildings. The new project “Local Eviction” was published on social networks this Thursday and has already gone viral.
The tents were set up at the viewpoint of San Pedro de Alcantara, a famous tourist spot in the capital.
“The problem is the greed of the private sector and the incompetence of the government. I do not criticize tourists, foreigners, and especially immigrants, but rather the lack of measures that be able to balance the scales and stop expelling people who actually live in cities, turning them into giant soulless amusement parks,” he said in an Instagram post.
In addition to the tents, Bordalo II again used the city’s signs for social criticism. In one photo posted on social media, the locations were replaced with the words “Hotel”, “Tourist Office”, “Airbnb”, “Hostel”.
Another photo posted also shows a no-traffic sign that reads, “Except tourists, digital nomads and golden visas.”
The artist emphasizes that it is urgent to regulate the prices of houses and apartments in the country. “When markets are left to their own devices, the result is holes that can be rented for two thousand euros a month and This is why there is an urgent need to regulate the frenzy of speculation that degrades the dignity of some people. line the pockets of others,” he said.
Bordalo II’s post, which already has more than 89,000 likes and 1,500 comments, comes after national media reported cases of workers choosing to live in tents due to difficulties paying rent.
“In Portugal in 2023, there are people who get up to work for eight hours or more every day. and by the end of the month they can’t even afford a house to live in. This situation is a problem for those who can’t afford a house, for those who have nothing left after to pay it and for those who are forced to leave,” he states.
Bordalo II called the housing crisis a problem that will leave deep traces that will leave “a huge part of the population is not able to think about future”.
“This is everyone’s problem!” – he concluded.
Author: Sarah Reis Teixeira This Philippa Novais
Source: CM Jornal
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