Orion’s Reverse Graffiti

Alexandre Orion is a Brazilian street artist responsible for the incredibly clever (and kind of bittersweet) project documented in the video below. Our observations (spoiler alert!) are after the clip.

Ok, so “reverse graffiti” isn’t entirely new, but Orion’s video is a work of art in itself. Watching the authorities roll up on this brazen graffiti artist, and try to figure out what their role is when they realize that he’s just selectively cleaning the wall, is priceless.

In the end the government chips in in its own, clumsy way, and Orion has pulled off a masterwork, raising at least a dozen interesting questions about who’s responsible for public property and what constitutes vandalism.

Here are some of his recent photographs.

Via Wooster Collective.