José Gallino has become one of the most talked-about names in the Uruguayan street art scene. This 33-year-old has produced an enormous number of murals, so many that he has lost count of them. He was born in the city of Salto and managed to make a name for himself by portraying the most prominent figures he could come up with, and doing it nonstop for years.
Since 2016, Jose Gallino has been developing into a project he calls “Tribute to Uruguayans,” a compilation of realistic murals adorning city street walls the width and length of Uruguay. Jose felt it was important to portray the faces of prominent people in various localities around his country, both easily recognizable people and the “invisible” people who still do a lot for their communities.
His works focus on enhancing the legacy of national figures, such as “China” Zorrilla, Alfredo Zitarrosa, Carlos Páez Vilaró, and Eduardo Galeano, to name just a few examples of portraits scattered around Montevideo that bear Gallino’s signature.
Even though these photorealistic portrait murals are a big part of Gallino’s work, he has also dabbled with different characters designs, his first mural in 2013 was a bug with reptile eyes and shark teeth. Raised in the countryside, Gallino says that animals fascinate him and that he got a number of tattoos inspired by animals that he feels some connection to.
You can follow José Gallino’s work on his Instagram account here: https://www.instagram.com/gallinoart/