People
THEN OLHÃO
FOUND US...
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... and we weren't even looking! Hank and Carina's story of how they came to love and live in Olhão
elcome to our monthly column celebrating Olhão. After exploring Portugal top to bottom from Braga to Tavira enjoying so many coastal and inland locations in our RV, we decided Olhão was the place to buy our home to celebrate our “golden years”. Olhão was not on our radar at first. In fact, the discovery of Eastern Algarve was a pleasant surprise with the scale of development so much less than areas to the west. A chance winter rental introduced us to Olhão, a place we quickly found attractive for many reasons. “Walkability” is, above all, a main highlight and each month I will introduce you to places only steps away from our front door. We hope you will enjoy our column! Can We Save Olhão’s Art Walls? An open letter to João Evaristo, Veneador da Cultura, Olhão Camera Dear João, We are writing to you as a couple who appreciate and who have been deeply affected by your work. Carina and I first arrived here in Olhão in January of 2021. On our walking journeys through the back streets
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those first days, we discovered something special, the ArtWalls of Olhão! Support from the local Camera through your offices helped to create these giant works of art to be enjoyed by everyone. Here is the article that appeared in the March 2019 issue of this magazine: “A team of Algarve graffiti artists have brought new life into an old area of Olhão by turning the dilapidated walls of a former factory into works of art. Olhão council hired Loulé-based art association Satori to turn the rundown walls on Largo da Fábrica Velha into murals depicting the history and traditions of Olhão. The artists, who worked hard for several weeks, were Pedro ‘Mistik’, ‘Gnose’ and ‘Kaset’ from Quarteira, as well as a special guest from Albufeira, ‘Dgiphi’. The town’s old canning and fishing industry and markets are all represented with an accuracy that has left citizens feeling proud. Inspiration came mostly from old photos, and the artists even say some locals have either identified themselves or other family members in the paintings. Over 500 spray cans were used to bring the project to life on Rua da Fábrica Velha.” These fabulous murals haven’t just brought
Olhão’s past to life, they have also turned what were once dilapidated buildings into a fabulous street gallery. João, we are writing you to ask for your help. I appreciated your recent email providing your phone number although we have yet to connect. Here is what I would say if we could speak to each other. I don’t know if these beautiful creations are slated for destruction, but there seems to be that possibility given the rumors suggesting a new hotel will replace the buildings hosting a good portion of the ArtWalls. Since the city has invested already to deliver these huge works of historical art, we are hoping your office will want to encourage the developers to preserve or perhaps re-create the ArtWalls that might be under threat. Carina and I are newcomers to Olhão, but the local people we’ve talked to seem to strongly believe that preserving these investments in public art is very important. We hope your municipal offices working with the investors might help to make them fully aware of just how much these art installations matter to people here. That might help create the context for creative solutions that could help protect this heritage.
www.eastalgarvemag.com
