Urban Picassos

Tony Whelan


Urban Picasso is a sculpture displayed in Graffiti Alley, a legal graffiti wall in Cambridge. Made out of discarded spray paint cans, the sculpture represents the mystery of who paints in Graffiti Alley.

Every day people paint in Graffiti Alley, a legal graffiti wall in Cambridge, but they come and go inconspicuously. The only evidence that they were there is the paint on the wall. People walking by are left to wonder who the painters are. Urban Picasso evokes the mystery of who paints in Graffiti Alley. This sculpture is meant to pay respects to all artists who have painted on the walls of Graffiti Alley. Made out of spray paint cans, the sculpture represents a person hanging onto the posts that hold up the canopy. It playfully suggests the spray paint cans got up and copied the people they saw painting on the walls.The cans were collected in Graffiti Alley over the course of 3 days; a bucket was left with a sign, "please donate..." and the painters left 31 cans. By relying on community engagement in this way, the sculpture further links the underground painters with the audience for their work.