A controversy has deepened regarding the artwork ‘Provoc’ by Bordalo II, installed in Lisbon’s Praça Duque da Terceira at Cais do Sodré, which was reported to have damaged the local Portuguese pavement. The artist, Artur Bordalo, is facing accusations of plagiarizing another artist who, in 2023, created a project titled ‘Lisbonopoly: The Game of the Housing Crisis’.
The work by Mafalda, known as Fartadaa, was showcased at the Prisma Estúdio association and aimed to shed light on the housing crisis in Lisbon through a satirical adaptation of the board game Monopoly, as outlined on the entity’s website.
“The project was inspired by a report highlighting the staggering number of vacant houses in Lisbon – nearly 48,000 – with the city council claiming to want to find a way to invite the owners of these houses ‘to join the game’. The artist behind ‘Lisbonopoly’ perceived this as a real-life game where those in power often fail to grasp the severity of the issue, leaving ordinary and impoverished people unable to play. Through an interactive game made entirely from recycled materials, she demonstrates how the housing crisis intertwines with issues like wages, taxes, and other circumstances,” the association detailed.
Following the unveiling of ‘Provoc’, internet users were quick to point out the similarities between the works, accusing Bordalo II of blatantly copying another Portuguese artist.
“It’s very sad to see more famous artists stealing the works of others. Fartadaa had done this work two years ago. Blatantly stolen,” commented another user.
Although Mafalda acknowledged that the use of the board game to address the housing crisis is not new, she noted that Bordalo II praised her work both publicly and privately. He also told her that he had a similar idea but would not pursue it out of respect.
“What I find wrong here is his attitude as a renowned artist. Instead of reaching out and asking if I wanted to collaborate on his project or even mention my name, he chose to overlook me,” she expressed in statements to SIC Notícias.
“His attitude changed completely. He spoke to me as if he was above me.”
Contacted by Notícias ao Minuto, Fartadaa added that, in her view, the artist’s team’s response to plagiarism accusations “is deeply hypocritical.”
“What brings me back to the subject is how everything unfolded and especially how Bordalo’s team reacted to the plagiarism accusations. Publicly, he claims that the inspiration was Banksy’s 2011 work, denying any resemblance between the two projects. However, when confronted privately, his first response was: ‘It was good inspiration.’ To me, this is deeply hypocritical,” she lamented.
Mafalda emphasized that “inspiration is one thing,” but acknowledging her work, “stating it won’t be replicated, releasing a similar project, and then denying any resemblance or influence is another, and it’s at least inconsistent.”
“The issue is that he recognized and praised my project at the time, even commenting on one of my posts, and privately said he wouldn’t do anything similar out of respect. Two years later, he comes out with a piece on a much larger scale, and when I respectfully confronted him, just because I felt I deserved a heads-up, his attitude changed completely. He spoke as if he was above me, belittling the acknowledgment he had given me before,” she explained.
The team of the artist denied to SIC Notícias any similarity between the projects, noting that others, including Banksy, have also approached the theme in this way.
Indeed, Bordalo II shared on Tuesday a screenshot of the work offered by the British artist to the Occupy London movement in 2011, depicting the Monopoly mascot, ‘Rich Uncle Pennybags’, holding out a top hat for money.
“True inspiration since 2011,” he wrote.
Notícias ao Minuto reached out to the artist’s team, but as of the publication date of this article, no response was received.
