The success of Urban Art Gallery has gone beyond any initial expectation. Initially developed for the
Bairro Alto neighbourhood, in the historical centre of Lisbon and popular for its night-life, its 2016
edition took place at the Padre Cruz neighbourhood, the largest social housing area in Portugal and
well-known for its extended poverty and issues related with social exclusion. The project has from its
outset aimed to give voice to a larger universe of artists and street art practices, opening up in this way
the public field to voices that tend to be excluded. The project has since 2010 expanded to other
locations and sites, bringing into visibility less expected areas of the city, while helping in the
maintenance of public space and “beautification” of the extensive list of rundown buildings spread
throughout the city. Nowadays, street art interventions take on different mediums from buildings to
bin containers and other public urban furniture, under a much more structured cultural and educational
format, extending the opportunity to participate and collaborate residents living in the area.