In Storybook at Thinkspace Projects, Nuno Viegas reflects on the intersection of past and future, rebellion and responsibility, anonymity and legacy. Nuno explores his journey from a teenage graffiti writer to becoming a father, contemplating the values, experiences, and lessons passed from one generation to the next.
Graffiti has been a defining force in Viegas’s life, shaping his character through both beautiful and challenging moments. He sees graffiti as an expression of brotherhood, unity, and shared experience – a culture where moments are lived for the sake of the moment itself, free from material gain. In a world driven by money and power, graffiti serves as a reminder that true fulfillment comes from collective memories, shared with those who stand beside us.
Although this body of work revolves around graffiti – this is not graffiti. Much like René Magritte’s C̈eci n’est pas une pipe ̈, these paintings do not claim to be what they represent. Instead, they are a reflection – a translation of graffiti’s elements, aesthetics, and values into a new visual language. Viegas takes inspiration from the scene but presents it through a different lens, stripping it of its urban environment and reinterpreting it with a minimalistic and realistic approach.
Graffiti transcends social barriers, welcoming people from all backgrounds, cultures, and identities. This belief is at the core of Viegas’s signature hooded figures – Anonymous, they represent a community where one’s roots or status do not define them. Their identities remain hidden because in graffiti, as in life, what truly matters is not where you come from, but the stories you create.
Through his signature clean aesthetic and meticulous technique, Viegas elevates elements of graffiti beyond the streets, inviting us to see them not just as remnants of rebellion, but as symbols of connection, freedom, and legacy. STORYBOOK is more than an exhibition – it is an open letter to the next generation, a reflection on what we choose to pass on, and an invitation to rethink the values that shape us.