– April 30, 2021
Algarve street artist HUARIU is making a splash yet again after having unveiled on Thursday night a giant painting that pays tribute to British F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton, who is back to track action in Portimão this weekend, and late F1 pilot Ayrton Senna, who tragically died in 1994 after crashing during the San Marino Grand Prix at Italy’s Imola circuit.
Titled ‘Even Legends Have Heroes’, it was painted onto the same private football pitch in Mexilhoeira Grande, Portimão, where HUARIU last year painted his giant tribute to Hamilton, which went viral and was even praised by the racing driver himself.
Like last year, the idea was pitched to him by former clients who own the football pitch and are “huge F1 fans”.
The artist got to work last Tuesday (April 20) and completed the massive painting yesterday (April 29).
“In a way, the process was even more difficult than last time,” HUARIU told the Resident.
“This time I came up with a different system and had more friends helping me. Each one was designated to paint a certain area. But halfway through it, I was completely lost. This was a much larger project than last year’s,” the 29-year-old artist explained.
He and his friends worked from around 9.30am to 6.30pm every day to make sure the painting was completed before the start of this weekend’s F1 Heineken Portuguese Grand Prix, which is taking place at the Algarve International Racetrack (AIA) in Portimão.
“It was tough, my head is sunburned. I was worried it may turn out to be a flop, but thankfully it turned out great,” HUARIU added.
All in all, the process took 10 days and involved 1,800 litres of paint (almost double the amount) across a 5,500sqm football pitch.
And just like last time, his achievement is already making waves across social media.
HUARIU has already made a name for himself in Portugal’s urban art scene. While he discovered the world of graffiti at the age of nine, he eventually “lost interest” before rekindling his artistic passion again at 21 and becoming a full-time artist.
You can follow HUARIU on social media pages (@Huariu).
