SP Urban Aquarium: Mural by Kleber Pagú

The Urban Aquarium is a mural that covers several buildings located in the center of São Paulo. The mural was created by street artist Felipe Yung, better known as Flip, and has the help of cultural producer Kleber Pagú to bring the project to life.

With the help of Kleber Pagú, Flip wants to break the Guinness record for the largest mural in the world. The grand project will be on 15 different building gables, totaling 10 thousand square meters of painting.

Want to know a little more about the project and the various controversies that arose after the paintings began? Just read the content we have prepared for you until the end.

The Urban Aquarium

Flip and Kleber Pagú's grandiose project is located in downtown São Paulo, very close to the Copan building. Although it is still incomplete, the mural brings life to the gables of the buildings, turning the city center into a sea of ​​color and life .

For over 15 years, artist Flip has dreamed of turning the building between the Itália building and the Copan into a new landmark for the city. With the help of cultural producer Pagú, the artist was encouraged to expand his dream, because he didn't have to paint just that specific building.

It was then that the dream of painting the building between Itália and Copan became the dream of being the largest mural in the world.

And so the location for the Urban Aquarium was chosen. A unique location in the city with several gables facing the same place. When you turn 360º, anyone passing by can have the sensation of being inside an aquarium.

For the grand project, 15 buildings were chosen, all of them located near the intersection of Rua Major Sertório and Rua Bento de Freitas. The project does not have a major sponsor, so it relies solely on partnerships between the artists and the population.

The only significant help the project received was from the paint company Sherwin-Williams , which donated around R$1 million worth of paint to the project. In addition, the companies Mills and JLG offered cranes and safety equipment for the artist, valued at around R$500 thousand.

Many businesses in the region felt motivated to help, which makes the work even more important for the city.

In addition to ensuring art for the population that passes through the city every day, their involvement with art is important. This involvement is essential for those artists who come later to know that they will have the support of the population.

For the artist, his greatest motivation is to be able to bring art for free to the people who pass through the city every day. The artist has been studying aquatic animals for years, and the jellyfish is an animal that is always present in the large mural.

With the studies, the artist defined the style that will be applied to the mural, featuring various animals from both the seas and rivers. In addition to bringing more color to the city, the project also aims to draw more attention to environmental issues.

To this end, in addition to displaying aquatic animals in various colors on the large mural, all the paint cans used during the project will be recycled. All in a way that contributes, even if in a small way, to environmental preservation.

The Urban Aquarium controversy

Since all the buildings that will be part of the Urban Aquarium are private, it is necessary to obtain permission to paint. For example, in residential buildings, it is necessary to obtain permission from all residents, which is not always an easy task.

The controversy began when Dias Fernandes Administração e Participações Ltda. went far beyond refusing to authorize the artistic intervention. The company owns the Renata Sampaio Ferreira building and went to court to demand payment of a fine and an arrest warrant for Pagú. An injunction was issued by Judge Lúcia Caninéo Campanhã, which determined that the gable must return to its original color.

In addition, a fine of 5 thousand reais must be paid for each day that the painting continues on the building and a fine of 50 thousand reais must be paid for each day if the work continues.

Pagú confirmed that the right to property is not being questioned, but the issue is that, according to him, the population's right over the city must also be guaranteed. All this controversy could result in a beige wall standing out in the marine landscape created by the artist Flip.

The only thing the company said after the incident was that “It’s better to leave it in its original color since the building is listed.” And this statement is actually quite funny, considering that the gable was covered in graffiti before the artistic intervention.

But even with the controversy, work on the large mural continues, turning the gray city of São Paulo into a sea of ​​color and life.

Kleber Pagu

Kleber Pagú is the pseudonym of cultural producer Kleber Barros Dias. The artist is also an activist who seeks to bring important issues to light through art , and is the leader of the Artivistas project.

Furthermore, Pagú is responsible, together with his wife Fernanda Bueno, for the administration of the cultural project management company Axé no Corre.

Pagú designed several projects, such as Etnias, which was created by street artist Eduardo Kobra. The project entered the Guinness Book of Records for the largest mural in the world in 2016.

Kobra's mural was created in Rio de Janeiro during the 2016 Olympics, measuring 15 meters high and 170 meters long.

Felipe Yung

Felipe Yung, better known as Flip, is a street artist from São Paulo who became known in various parts of the world with his vibrant work.

Flip has worked in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre. He also has work in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Los Angeles, London, Moscow, Paris, Osaka and Tokyo.

With influences ranging from urban culture to woodcuts and Japanese calligraphy, the artist is a master of the art of graffiti.

Now that you know a little more about the Urban Aquarium and its creators, just create a guide to discover this incredible project.

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