The Quinta do Mocho murals are a public art project in a housing estate in Sacavém, north east of Lisbon, Portugal.[1] [2] [3] The project was initiated in 2014 and as of 2018 consisted of 94 large scale murals on buildings.[4]
The Quinta do Mocho social housing project, consisting of four-story buildings, was built in the 1990s to house 3,000 people, mostly from former Portuguese colonies in Africa—Cape Verde, Guinea and Angola.[5] Social exclusion, high unemployment and poor housing standards contributed to the area having high crime rates and various social problems.[4] In order to improve the district's image, in 2014 local officials invited Portuguese and foreign artists to paint murals on its buildings.[6] The municipality has since stopped organising the project, however residents now maintain it and offer guided tours to visitors.[4] According to local officials, since the murals were painted, a bus line now serves the area, cultural events have multiplied, and the crime rate has fallen.[5] [7]