The favelas, grimy, dismal slums in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, are widely considered hotbeds of violence and crime. But Dre Urhahn (pictured on the right) has a different perspective. He sees the favelas as “a source of inspiration and creativity” and thinks it’s a shame they are maligned by the city’s wealthier set, which, he says, dances to the music created there. During his first visit in 2005, Urhahn was struck that rich and poor “breathe the same air but live in two completely different worlds.” Together with Jeroen Koolhaas—the other half of this Dutch artistic duo—Urhahn has been back several times to create a more positive impression of the favelas. How? By adding a little color to the lives of residents.
One project, for which Urhahn and Koolhaas drafted a couple of young locals, involved painting works of art on several adjoining houses. They recently completed a new project in the infamous Santa Marta favela, working with 30 unemployed young people to paint 7,000 square miles (about 18,000 square kilometers) of houses. Completing the colorful artwork—visible from various parts of the city—helped group members gain a work ethic and work experience, which are likely to enable them to find more work.
Characteristically, Urhahn and Koolhaas chose not to make a statement with the painting. “You can paint a huge picture on a wall of a poor child who was gunned down, but we wanted to do something that would make people happy,” says Urhahn, who spent months living in the favela and says the community embraced him. “Now the people who live here are a little bit happier when they walk out their doors in the morning.”
Back in the Netherlands, Urhahn and Koolhaas are seeking financial support to take on Santa Marta as a whole. Says Urhahn, “It will mean commuters and vacationers won’t be able to ignore it.” The duo hopes the neighborhood will have the same appeal as the world-famous statue of Christ that looks out over the city. “But this is not a gift from the government to the city,” Urhahn says. “It is a gift from the residents of the favela to the city.”
