Untitled 

Alberto Pereira’s mural is made from paint and stencil techniques on an extant wall. The stenciled figures, a worker and a man loaded onto a trolley, are rendered in monochrome. The choice of black and white might speak to both the art of photography, and to the socio-economic divide the artist comments on, especially the racial component. It is a graphic and immediate medium, well suited for relaying messages in the public sphere. The use of stencils is itself interesting, associated with mass production, but also graffiti art. The piece suggests labor and marginalization and the relationship between the figures is ambiguous. The weight of the trolley, and the red droplets, give the scene an ominous feeling. Ultimately, Pereira makes us consider the labor that is involved in every commodity, and the human cost involved in the production and distribution of wealth. It challenges the idea that fine art is somehow separate from the concerns of everyday life.