Morro da Providência
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, the oldest favela in Rio de Janeiro, home to thousands, saw a US$ 65 million redevelopment project which included a cable car, funicular tram, and new roads. The bulk of this investment did not reach the inhabitants. With 832 houses marked for demolition (nearly one third of the community), the expropriation process deeply affected the lives of the people who only recently had celebrated the pacification process that had freed the historic slum from a history of violence.
In September–October 2012, Portuguese urban artist Vhils and his team spent a month at Providência developing an art project that spoke out to the people in the light of the expropriation and demolition process, carving the portraits of some of those who have been evicted on what remained of their homes.
“Descascando a Superfície”
Scratching the Surface Project
Bas-relief wall carvings
Morro da Providência, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2012