Mr. Panik

For this mural, internationally renowned and Lisbon-based contemporary artist Mr. Panik drew inspiration from the architecture of Lisbon's northern suburbs: social housing blocks with bold colours, also used in houses across small-town Portugal, and that create a stunning and sometimes dreamlike aesthetic, sparking the imagination.

Mirroring the forms of these brutalist apartment blocks, the artist’s aim is to highlight the beauty that exists in the details of these residential areas, while also drawing on the hazy wistfulness created by some of the sunny but ‘rough around the edges’ sights along the Portuguese coast, specifically the faded, colourful beach cafe parasols.

The result is “a playful and somewhat abstract look at the multi-colour apartment blocks that encircle the historic centre of Lisbon and the sunny holiday nostalgia this architecture creates in the eyes of someone like myself who did not grow up in this kind of environment.” – Panik