Six years after his landmark exhibition Paris Agreement, Portuguese artist Bordalo II returns to Paris with a striking and committed new exhibition, IRREVERSIBLE. With the aim of creating a different, more provocative experience, this powerful manifesto denounces the devastation and excesses of our society. Showcasing some of his famous portraits of endangered animals crafted from plastic waste, this exhibition also marks the debut of one of his most personal series, Provocs, in a gallery context. You can visit it at Galerie Mathgoth in the 13th arrondissement of Paris until June 28, 2025.
“If taking a stand feels more urgent now, it's because the world is reaching a point of no return. Artists have a duty to reflect that, to unsettle, to open people’s eyes,” the Portuguese artist, a key figure in international street art, tells us in the interview you can read below, after stating that art has never been neutral. “Art will never be consensual, and there is nothing wrong with it. Some people will like it, and others won't,” he reflects on the ultimate purpose of art, its disparity of perceptions and opinions, and the need for creatives to work freely without being swayed by the feedback their artworks might generate.
First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on your striking and committed new exhibition, IRREVERSIBLE, which has just opened its doors. How do you feel and where are you responding to us from?
Thank you! I have just returned from Paris, and I am installing a big-scale sculpture, from an entire new series of work (where I only use iron), in Vilamoura, Portugal. It has been an intense few months and although the exhibition will be open until the 28th of June, I already have this feeling of mission accomplished.
Taking over a raw and unconventional 300 m² space in the 13th arrondissement of Paris until June 28, IRREVERSIBLE denounces the devastation and excesses of our society. When did you start working on this project? Could you tell us about the starting point for this exhibition?
The first steps for this exhibition began about a year ago, though the concept behind it has been with me for many years now. It´s fair to say that I started doing Provocs at the same time as my trash animals. For this exhibition, I wanted to create a different kind of experience, more provocative. We are living in rough times, and I feel that, more than ever, it is important that I use my voice to bring awareness over these topics that disturb me and that affect everyone: the growing inequality, the abuse of our natural resources, the environmental crises, these cruel wars, the way people are becoming more and more distant and relationships are now being mediated through social media, and Paris felt like the right place for this manifesto.
Your works highlight the impact of overconsumption and pollution. Should art take a stand now more than ever before? What role does it play in today's world?
Art was never neutral. If taking a stand feels more urgent now, it's because the world is reaching a point of no return. Artists have a duty to reflect that, to unsettle, to open people's eyes. It's not just about criticism creating space for constructive conversations. If one of my pieces makes people think twice about these subjects, then it's already worth it.
The exhibition showcases some of your famous portraits of endangered animals, crafted from plastic waste, symbolizing the disastrous consequences of globalization on biodiversity. Where do the resources you use come from, and what is the process of developing these pieces like?
The materials I use come from everywhere: factories, construction sites, and beach clean-ups, but we also have people bringing us things and institutional partners that donate plastic and other discarded materials. Unfortunately, these materials are always available. The process begins with collection, then selection (colours, patterns) and then production. It's ironic because the animal portraits end up being born from the very materials threatening their habitats and their existence.
This manifesto exhibition also serves as the debut of one of your most personal series, Provocs, doesn't it?
I have been doing provocs since the beginning of my career but this exhibition marks their debut in a gallery context. They were born in the streets, where I usually transform everyday objects to adapt or change their meaning in order to pass a certain message. The challenge this time was to bring them indoors and to use a different scale and different objects – some of them created from scratch – while before I would use something that was already part of the city. This is definitely my most personal series and something I want to keep working on.
With this series, you interact with urban elements and furniture, offering new perspectives. What is the dialogue you create with these elements, and what conclusions do you draw from it?
We live in a time where consuming information is easier than digesting it. Art can be an antidote: it forces us to pause, look closely, and ask questions. When I decontextualize an object, I make viewers confront it from a different perspective. They must give it a different meaning and to do so they have to think about what they are seeing.
What do you like most about the current international art scene? And least?
In such troubling times, it is reassuring to see that so many artists are using either their art or their voices (or both) to say something relevant about issues that are affecting our societies, while simultaneously trying to connect and be closer to people. Through social media, it is also much easier to reach out to a higher number of people and get their support and incentives. People feel closer to the artists and their work. There are also a wider variety of means available to create different types of art, which can be liberating. On the other hand, this constant demand for proximity sometimes brings attached an obligation to always be present, to constantly feed an algorithm that suddenly can become more important than the art itself. This constant need for self-promotion can empty art from its real intent and deviate the attention from the artist creation and creator to this sort of influencer/star.
What message would you send to all those who dream of expressing their worldview, their reflections and thoughts through art, but are afraid their work won't be well received by the public or critics?
It is normal to fear that your art won’t be well received, but art shouldn't be about pleasing everyone. If you must restrain your creativity and filter your artistic impulses just to be consensual, then maybe you should do something else. Art will never be consensual and there is nothing wrong with it. Some people will like it, and others won't.
This new exhibition arrives six years after your landmark Paris Agreement exhibition, which was attended by more than 24,000 visitors. What did it mean to you?
It was a very important moment in my career, and I am glad to be back in Paris, once again with Galerie Mathgoth, who accepted this challenge alongside me. I hope we have many people visiting and reflecting on the artworks and their messages – different people, different ages, different backgrounds and social statuses. That´s one of the reasons we worked hard to make it a free entrance exhibition.
And is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming projects?
We will continue having a busy year, which is great. We are installing huge sculptures and murals worldwide and, of course, there are always lots of provocs taking shape.
