Bordalo II. Bordalo II 2011 – 2017

Bordalo II 2011 – 2017. Bordalo II. 2017

Bordalo II 2011 – 2017 is an essential document of the Lisbon-based artist’s transformative approach to street art, sculpture, and environmental activism. Published in conjunction with his massive solo exhibition ATTERO in Lisbon, the book chronicles six years of Bordalo II’s relentless exploration of waste as both material and message. Known for his large-scale animal sculptures crafted from discarded objects, Bordalo II turns industrial, commercial, and consumer debris into expressive works that challenge the culture of overconsumption.

In ATTERO, his creative process is laid bare—viewers enter a warehouse where bicycles stack in layers, office chairs wave their legs in the air, and white garbage bags form soft, meringue-like piles. As an immersive study, the book mirrors the artist’s ability to organize chaos into order, crafting a visual language of urgency, beauty, and critique.

Bordalo II, named in homage to his grandfather, the celebrated Portuguese painter Real Bordalo, started as a graffiti writer with Lisbon’s R315 Dream Team before transitioning to sculpture through his studies at the Fine Arts Faculty. His signature “trash animals” use the discarded to depict the endangered, assembling found objects into striking representations of wildlife threatened by human wastefulness.

Urban art photographer and de facto historian Martha Cooper, who documents his process in the book, describes how his selection of materials—seemingly random heaps of industrial scraps—resolves into a detailed, expressive creature before the viewer’s eyes. Critic Carlo McCormick positions Bordalo II within a lineage of artists who expose the hidden costs of consumption, noting his ability to create sharp social commentary within the evolving street art movement. With its in-depth essays and extensive photographic documentation, the book provides an invaluable look into Bordalo II’s evolving practice and artistic philosophy.

Bordalo II 2011 – 2017 can be seen as an urgent reflection on environmental responsibility, amplified by contributions from figures such as Portuguese Minister of Environment João Pedro Matos Fernandes. “It calls to our attention the choices we make in our everyday life, and to the consequences of our actions,” he writes, praising the artist’s ability to confront audiences with the tangible impact of human excess. The book captures Bordalo II in motion, at a critical juncture in his career, reshaping public space with materials we’d rather forget. As McCormick aptly notes, “And in this world where we choke the planet with our incessant rubbish, let us celebrate those alchemical artists like Bordalo II who have that rare gift of being able to turn shit into gold.”

Text: Steven P. Harrington and Jaime Rojo  Fotos: Eveline Wilson