An emerging trend breathes life into the region’s cities, as Fly Pontes crafts stunning outdoor paintings that rival fine art
– December 21, 2024 | Text & Photos Eric Roth
When you walk down any city street, there are a lot of things to look at. People, houses, trees, shops, vehicles, signs, etc. But what about art? You might actually be passing by art many times without noticing or caring about it.
In more and more cities, there is a popular trend to paint pictures on the big electricity cabinets along the sidewalks. Too often, the paintings are childlike pictures of sunny days with flowers, rainbows, birds and cute little bunnies.
In the Algarve, however, there’s an artist who is quietly creating exceptional outdoor paintings on the level of fine art. This work isn’t taken seriously by the snobby art world, but it should be.
In an effort to elevate the quality and relevance of the electricity cabinet art, earlier this year the Câmara Municipal de Silves decided to commission a particular artist who won their hearts.
Meet Fly Pontes, artist to the rescue. For 11 years, this Algarve native has painted more than 100 electricity cabinets; mostly in Albufeira, Portimão, and São Bartolomeu de Messines.
“Art should be available to everyone,” says Pontes. “Not just in galleries, museums, and the homes of private collectors. I want to add more beauty to the streets and make the places more valued and more popular.”
Born and raised in São Bartolomeu de Messines, Pontes, 51, attended Ar.Co, an exciting art and communications school in Lisbon. He started out working in illustration, and after a while, he found his way into street art, first in Évora, and then finally back to his roots in the Algarve.
On the day we met him, Fly was painting a huge mural on the side of the fishermen’s lota market in Armação de Pêra, and he invited me to watch him at work. He was finishing up a colourful, vibrant depiction of the ocean reef of the Pedra do Valado Marine Park.
This offshore area in the central Algarve has recently been declared as protected for environmental preservation and conservation. He had scores of paint cans, in a plethora of colours, and he was working freehand, running up and down scaffolding like a gymnast.
Alone with the sun, the birds, the beachgoers, and the ocean breeze, he toiled.
I was surprised at the physical challenge of his task, and the precision of his actions.
He would eye the mural from afar and, striding back and forth, add a dab of one colour here, and another over there. The mural features a majestic orange sea horse, a sprawling, undulating red octopus, and several fascinating fish in blue, green and turquoise.
The underwater landscape is adorned with various plants and colourful coral intermingling with the animals.
“I like to paint pictures that relate to the place I am working in. This mural is on the beach, and it’s about the ocean,” Fly said. “People can think about the place they are in. I want them to learn about what is there. Many of my paintings are also about the history of a place.”
He told me that this mural was commissioned by the Câmara Municipal de Silves, who asked for artists to submit proposals, and Fly’s was chosen.
I’m not surprised… his artistry is amazing. He creates many preliminary drawings before he paints on location. Many of the images require several hand-cut stencils for finer detail, and each stencil employs different colours.
It’s obvious that he is dedicated, and he works very hard. A few miles to the east of Armação de Pêra, amidst the bar and restaurant scene in Albufeira, Fly Pontes’ electricity cabinets can be seen on almost every block.
These striking paintings create a series of historic images researched, designed and painted by Fly.
They stylistically depict the life of Albufeira 100 years ago, when it was a humble Portuguese fishing village. As today’s holiday tourist crowds pass by, I wonder how many of them are aware of the rich culture and history of Portugal.
If it wasn’t for these paintings, there would barely be a trace of what Albufeira used to be.
“This is my way of life and my way of giving to society. By sharing my work with others out in public, I receive so much back,” said the artist.
“When I’m painting, there’s always some great interaction with the people who pass by the mural, or the electricity cabinet,” Pontes reflected. “They give me their opinion and tell stories about the place. I often incorporate their stories into the art. This exchange of experiences contributes to my growth as a painter and as a person.”
Now that I have met Fly, I especially enjoy walking by and stopping for a while to admire his work. I hope you have a chance to seek out and enjoy his art, and the work of his fellow street artists. Many of them could be shown in galleries or museums, but they have chosen to be on the streets, for all to see.
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