Bordalo II Unveils Re-Raccoon (2025): A Revival of His Iconic Lisbon Artwork, Reborn from Belém to Chelas After a Decade

Internationally acclaimed Portuguese artist Bordalo II announces the unveiling of Re-Raccoon, a newly adapted version of one of his most celebrated early works.

First created in 2015 as part of his Big Trash Animals series, the original ‘Big Raccoon’ installation in Belém for his solo show ‘Panic, Drama, Terror’ quickly became a defining and much loved landmark in Lisbon’s urban art scene and a pivotal moment in the artist’s rise to global recognition.

Constructed entirely from discarded materials, the 2015 raccoon embodied Bordalo II’s commitment to exposing the environmental cost of consumer culture. Image copyright Bordalo II

Constructed entirely from discarded materials, the 2015 raccoon embodied Bordalo II’s commitment to exposing the environmental cost of consumer culture. The piece gained widespread admiration not only for its meticulous craftsmanship but also for the striking visual illusion created by the stepped architecture of the wall it inhabited. Viewed from the side, the work appeared fragmented; from the front, the raccoon’s face aligned in perfect clarity, a playful and technically ambitious optical effect that helped cement its iconic status.

Constructed entirely from discarded materials, the 2015 raccoon embodied Bordalo II’s commitment to exposing the environmental cost of consumer culture. Image copyright Bordalo II

The Return of Bordalo II Re-Raccoon in Lisbon

A decade later, the building that hosted the original installation is set to be demolished. Rather than allowing the Raccoon to disappear, Bordalo II chose to adapt and bring it to Chelas, a neighbourhood where the urban arts festival Cordechelass has been actively revitalising public spaces through creativity.

Making of Re-Racoon, a decade later. This time the raccoon has found home in the neighbourhood of Chelas. Film copyright Bordalo II

With Bordalo II Re-Raccoon, the artist reframes a defining early work as a contemporary warning about consumption, waste, and visibility.

In a statement shared on Instagram, the artist reflected:

“From Belém to Chelas, Lisboa 2015 – 2025. The Big Raccoon was one of my first Big Trash Animal pieces, created in Lisbon, and was probably the work that brought me the most visibility at the time. It was created for my solo show at the Arte Periférica Gallery in the CCB museum in 2015. These were different times, and now, in 2025, the building where it was installed is set to be demolished, and something new will rise in its place. For this reason, we decided to adapt the piece and reinstall it in a very different neighbourhood, where the festival @cordechelass has been bringing colour to its streets—often forgotten by the city council of Lisboa.”

Re-Raccoon honours the spirit of the original, still built entirely from discarded materials, yet the plastic world it re-emerges into has only got worse. Over the decade since the original raccoon appeared in Belém, the world’s waste crisis has only intensified. Global rubbish production has soared, driven by rising consumption and an ever-growing dependence on single-use plastics, while recycling systems have struggled to keep pace, and recycling shipped out to only be destroyed.

Despite pockets of progress and a louder global conversation about sustainability, far more waste is being generated today than in 2015, and much of it continues to leak into rivers, oceans, soils, and the habitats of the very animals Bordalo II gives a voice to.

Re-Raccoon honours the spirit of the original, still built entirely from discarded materials, yet the world it re-emerges into has changed dramatically. Image copyright Bordalo II

If anything, the urgency behind Bordalo’s Big Trash Animals has only intensified. Re-Raccoon’s return in 2025 arrives not as a nostalgic revival but as a reminder: a decade later, the crisis has grown, and so too has the need for voices and artworks that refuse to look away.

From large-scale Trash Animals to collectable works, explore artworks that transform waste into meaning.
Available Works by Bordalo II