Not so well known either, Lagos on the western end of the Algarve has a thriving urban art scene. This is mostly thanks to LAC (Laboratorio de Actividades Criativas), a cultural association with its headquarters inside the town’s old jailhouse, who is responsible for bringing some of Europe’s best-known street artists to Lagos to create and exhibit their works.
You can spend a few hours walking around the town looking out for its street art pieces, stop for a cold beer at one of Lagos’s many watering holes, and then go and explore a little further.
Probably the best place to start your graffiti hunt is at the LAC building where you can get a local map of where to find the various murals spread around the town. Although the interior of LAC is also worth a visit and you just don’t know what you might find – the internal walls of the building are painted white each August to prepare them as “canvases” for the visiting artists. LAC’s doors are generally open most weekends but the association is not manned all the time, so do call ahead to check opening times.
One of our favourites murals in Lagos is the very colourful “Meeting the God” created by Polish street artists Bezt, which is located at Rua Lancelot the Freitas, just in front of the local cultural art centre. But we also love the pieces by ROA, a Belgian artist famous for his large-scale black and white animal paintings like the “mating snails”.
But there is more, much more of this unique, creative and masterful art style to explore. We hope that the few pieces featured here will whet you appetite to go and discover them
LAC is located at Largo do Convento de Nossa Sra. da Glória, Lagos.
Website: www.lac.org.pt
Tel: +351 282 084 959
