Bordalo II

Artur Bordalo, also known as Bordalo II (pronounced Bordalo Segundo), studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lisbon for eight years, where he discovered sculpture, ceramics, and experimented with various materials. His passion for painting dates back to his childhood, when he spent endless hours watching his grandfather paint in his studio, as well as tagging in Lisbon’s graffiti underground. Deeply influenced by his grandfather, Artur Bordalo began painting walls on the streets at the age of 11. Later, he chose the artist name Bordalo II as a tribute to his grandfather, Artur Real Bordalo (1925–2017), to honor him and highlight his artistic legacy. Public space would become the chosen stage for his explorations of color and scale, and the platform where he develops his artistic work, which today focuses on questioning the materialistic and greedy society of which he is (also) a part.

Worldwide known for using street trash to create impressive animal sculptures warning people about pollution and endangered species, his works are considered Trash-Art. The Big Trash Animals, large animal sculptures made from plastic waste, have spread across the world since 2012. Today, he also works on smaller formats with the Small Trash Animals. These serve as a reminder of the overproduction and overconsumption of goods, which leads to the continuous production of garbage and, consequently, the destruction of the planet. Bordalo II’s main goal is to raise awareness about how much waste is produced by humans and how we can stop causing so much harm to the Earth.