111 2022

Alberto Pereira’s mural, titled 111, presents three sailors in uniform, painted directly onto a city square somewhere. The figures are rendered in a grayscale palette, applied with broad, economical brushstrokes that emphasize the texture of the surface, and the permeable relation between the image and the ground. I love the contrast between the precision of the sailor’s uniforms and the casual execution. Look at the way the feet of the figure in the middle seem to bleed into the ground, creating a kind of optical vibration between the image and the surface. This effect emphasizes the contingency of the image. The figures almost seem to be emerging or dissolving, highlighting the temporary nature of urban interventions like these. Pereira's process reminds me a little of the work of Gonzalo Fonseca, who also explored the relationship between image and architecture. Like all good art, Pereira's mural invites us to contemplate the multiple layers of meaning and experience that coexist in our shared spaces.