The incredible street art duo Haas & Haan of Favela Painting and Philly Painting are headed back to to Rio de Janeiro, where they first made their mark with the colorful neighborhood sized mural (above) in the Santa Marta favela. This time however, they want to paint an entire hillside.
When we hung out with Haas & Haan (aka Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas) at the conclusion of their Philly Painting project in Germantown, partnership with the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia, Dre mentioned that they planned to return to Rio and create a permanent, self-sustaining project with revenue generating opportunities. “In our next project in Rio, said Urhahn, “we figured out a way to build the first self-sustainable art project, ever.”
The aim is hyperlocal here, targeted at job creation, visual beautification and new business opportunities for the community of Villa Cruzeiro, a favela in the north zone of Rio de Janeiro. In their Kickstarter, Haas & Haan write that “with your help we will return to Rio to create this community artwork of unprecedented scale: A monument that will radiate the pride and energy of the people who live in a community that they built with their own hands.”
This isn’t their first time in Villa Cruzeiro either, earlier Favela Painting painted the steep staircases of the neighborhood in an oceanic theme. Support the Kickstarter here.
