Artist Bordalo II Creates ‘Walk of Shame’ For Pope
With an estimated cost of €161 million (or $177 million) for the upcoming papal visit to Portugal, at least one local resident is unhappy with the decision. And he is using art to protest it.
The popular Portuguese street artist known as Bordalo II (real name: Artur Bordalo) is dipping his toes into religious space. While known for his installations warning against climate change (through the creation of trash-made sculptures), Bordalo is now expressing his concern for his government. He is protesting the costs of Pope Francis’ visit to his home country.
The visit will be paid by the Portuguese government, a couple of local councils, and the Catholic Church. In total, the government is expected to pay a fifth of the costs, or €30 million ($33 million). On Instagram, Bordalo criticized the plan for public funds to be used for religious reasons. On the caption for his post he wrote, “In a secular state, at a time when many people struggle to keep their homes, their jobs and their dignity, they decide to invest millions of public money to sponsor the Italian multinational tour.” Portugal is currently dealing with national inflation, a weakening workforce, and a housing crisis.
As Pope Francis travels throughout the country to attend the World Youth Day global gathering of young Catholics from today to August 6th, Bordallo is making sure his voice is heard. Choosing the park where the pope will last visit on the trip to attend a mass, Bordalo snuck into the venue to unfurl his most recent installation.
Using blown-up €500 banknotes, the artist has blanketed the entrance of the Parque Tejo as a path to the main stage.
This red carpet of sorts, dubbed ‘The Walk of Shame‘ by Bordalo, is just one part of the great protest happening inside Portugal. In the last few months a number of local figures have attacked the Portuguese government for its mishandling of funds. When asked by reporters for comment, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said that Bordalo was acting normally.
Featured Image via Reuters