In recent years, faces of prominent figures have been popping up on walls across Uruguay, but now, they will begin to appear in several European countries through the talent of street artist José Gallino. To begin his tour, he plans to leave his mark on both France and Spain with murals of former Uruguay president José Mujica, soccer player Luis Suárez, and the musician Jorge Drexler.
The majority of his pieces are large scale portraits of prominent Uruguayans such as actress China Zorrilla or the singer Alfredo Zitarrosa, but he has painted important figures on the world stage such as Steve Jobs, and also fictional characters such as chemistry professor turned drug trafficker Walter White, from the TV series Breaking Bad.
Continuing with his pattern of portraying famous Uruguayans, he plans to paint several Uruguayan personalities that now reside in Europe, for example, Suárez in Barcelona and Drexler in Madrid. Both of these well-known Uruguayans have made Spain their second home, the first as one of the top players in the local soccer league with the Barcelona club and the second with his musical talent that earned him an Oscar.
The idea of painting illustrious Uruguayans in Europe arose after an invitation that the artist and his collaborators received when they inaugurated a square in homage to Luisa Cuesta, social activist, and mother of a politician who disappeared during the military dictatorship (1973-1985).
The trip was suspended until pandemic related travel restrictions eased up, but months of delay allowed Gallino’s team to inquire on social media about what figures to paint and now they are ready to start working.