A mural painting that was creatively shaped to celebrate São João

There is a special mural painting that is the apt description of what celebrating São João means: the sentiment that, no matter what, the celebration is also an inner “thing”. And yet, there it is, this imagined São João, authored by illustrator and visual artist Mariana Malhão, located at the Passeios das Fontainhas, in the Duque de Loulé viaduct’s retaining wall. Enjoy this exciting new point of view!

A two-legged hammer, a giant balloon that wins the skies, and leek: all these are St John’s symbols that are included in the mural by Mariana Malhão, which was commissioned under the São João Programme, which is still celebrated in a different manner (understatement) than usual, due to the ongoing pandemic. The mural was inaugurated yesterday, 23 June by the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira. Councillor for Youth and Sports, Catarina Araújo, also attended the inauguration.

The mural painting that pays a tribute to São João was commissioned by Porto City Hall and Ágora – Cultura e Desporto, who have challenged Mariana Malhão to give her personal view on this century old defining feast of the Invicta. Her canvas is a 40-metre long and 10-metre high wall. “There is no narrative here”, advances Mariana Malhão, “I have decided to adapt my sketch to the topic, and I had never done anything based on São João, but I had done a workshop on balloons with Luciano Brito [an expert on balloons from Brazil, residing in Porto]. It seems that these balloons are also a tradition in Brazil, so this (balloon) was the first drawing that came out”, explained Mariana.

Moreover, the balloon is the highlight of the mural, in a wall where “I have decided to create the characters, as if they were the light and the colour of the feast. These are the icons of São João, which shine in the night”, furthered the artist, also stating, “it (the mural) looks like a weird party with a lot of strange characters”.

According to Mariana, the process was rather intuitive and the mural took a week to be completed. The feedback has been very positive, “children love it, some adults say they like it, as well”, shares the artist, who also enhances that “some might not like it, as São João is different for each person”. One thing is certain: her work will draw people into celebrating the most important feast in Porto.