+HSBI CCC's Street Art Contest #300 "The Linen Ghost" - Regg Salgado, Ajuda - Portugal

Good evening, friends!

Welcome to another post in the Street Art community!

How have you all been these past few weeks? Last week, I wasn’t able to get my post for this weekly contest up in time, but this week I couldn’t let its 300th edition slip by! A reason to celebrate, obviously.

This week, I’m bringing you another piece that’s beautifying the 2 de Maio neighborhood—the one where I’ve shared works here recently. This neighborhood has turned out to be a great spot for me to take photos of urban art, because even though it’s very close to where I work, it features pieces that are not only interesting but also have a deep history and meaning behind them.

And this piece was created by Regg Salgado, whose work I’ve shared here more recently—specifically, two of his pieces also located in the neighborhood (link 1, 2)

In this piece, the artist references an oil painting by Dirk Stoop, created in 1662 and titled “Terreiro do Paço.” In this work, the painter depicts Lisbon before the time of the great earthquake.

^{https://www.meisterdrucke.us/fine-art-prints/Dirk-Stoop/1191656/Palace-Square-Terreiro-do-Pa%C3%A7o-of-Lisbon.html}

The 2 de Maio neighborhood, as I mentioned earlier, has seen many conflicts since its inception. Construction had to be halted midway due to a revolution—Portugal’s most famous one—which took place on April 25, 1974. It is believed that this neighborhood was originally intended to house state police officers and their families. After the revolution, it came to be occupied by people who needed a roof over their heads. In the early days, hunger and living conditions were dire, and those who occupied these buildings under construction went through some hardships.

A story from that time recounted that at night, there were so-called “white ghosts.” Anonymous figures, covered in white sheets, would go from house to house, knocking on doors and shouting inside. To this day, their identity remains unknown. A notable feature of Regg’s work is the inclusion of the rooster found on the tower near the neighborhood (Ajuda Parish Tower), which can be glimpsed from this vantage point. The artist used this rooster to symbolize the courage and bravery of the neighborhood’s first residents.

Cheers to all, and see you soon!

Bem Hajam🍀