Batman Alley

The woman and the man are sat in the graffiti-covered recess overlooking the road. The wall behind them is covered in a painting of someone I recognise but can’t name. A mural of a disassembled nude stretches the length of the street corner. The raised pavement that serves as their vantage point has been painted green and tagged and the paint has been allowed to spill over the edge and into the gutter. The woman crosses her legs and takes a sip of her drink. The man lights a cigarette. I can’t take my eyes off them.

When São Paulo introduced its Clean City Law on 1st January 2007 giving advertisers 90 days to remove all adverts from public spaces, an unforeseen consequence of the ban was the explosion of graffiti across the city, of which Batman Alley is possibly its finest example. 

Image credit: Masthead Disclosure/Graffiti #PraCegoVer, teaser Deisy Rodrigues – São Paulo Sem Mesmice