Bordalo II’s ‘Balloon Fish’ in Trafaria, Portugal: Monumental Street Art Made from Local Trash
On a coastal street of Trafaria, Costa de Caparica, a colossal pufferfish emerges from the side of a building. Its eyes are wide, alert, and if we look closely its skin reveals itself not as paint alone, but as an assemblage of discarded plastic, industrial remnants, broken objects, and local waste.
Portuguese artist Bordalo II reconstructs animals from trash, transforming discarded waste into lifelike presences that confront us with the environmental damage caused by overproduction, pollution, and consumption… and what is ultimately at stake. Here Bordalo II creates ‘This is ‘Balloon Fish‘.
Big Trash Animal ‘Balloon Fish’, Trafaria, Costa de Caparica, Portugal. Image Copyright Bordalo II
Bordalo II’s ‘Big Trash Animals’ are internationally recognised for transforming trash into monumental animal forms, merging scale, environmental messaging and presence.
Monumental Street Art Made from Local Trash
The monumentality of ‘Balloon Fish’ is inseparable from its material origins. Constructed from locally sourced trash, the coastal sculpture-mural is physically and conceptually rooted in Trafaria itself. The debris that shapes the fish is the residue of local consumption, industry, and everyday life. In this sense, the work carries the weight of its surroundings.
Big Trash Animal ‘Balloon Fish’, Trafaria, Costa de Caparica, Portugal. Image Copyright Bordalo II
Bordalo II’s worldwide ‘big trash animals’ series confront responsibility. They are markers of consequence, built from the by-products of modern living.
Realistic Animal Forms and Presence in Bordalo II’s Art
‘Balloon Fish’ is strikingly lifelike. The eyes convey alertness, the body suggests tension, breath, vulnerability. The creature appears paused mid-moment, as if aware of being watched.
Big Trash Animal ‘Balloon Fish’, Trafaria, Costa de Caparica, Portugal. Image Copyright Bordalo II
The animal is not a mascot for environmental collapse, nor a decorative symbol. It is a being. By granting his animals agency and individuality, Bordalo II collapses the distance between viewer and subject. What might otherwise be an abstract ecological concern becomes immediate, emotional, and unavoidable.
The Emotional Impact of Bordalo II’s Murals
Standing before the mural, one becomes acutely aware of being observed. The fish does not fade into the urban background; it interrupts it, with a gaze that functions as a quiet accusation and demands recognition.
Big Trash Animal ‘Balloon Fish’, Trafaria, Costa de Caparica, Portugal. Image Copyright Bordalo II
On the street, Bordalo II’s ‘Balloon Fish’ does something more radical: it embeds ethics into daily life. It stops pedestrians mid-step, and invites silence, reflection and action.
Big Trash Animal ‘Balloon Fish’, Trafaria, Costa de Caparica, Portugal. Image Copyright Bordalo II