Tony de Marco

After Sao Paulo’s mayor implemented its yay-worthy Clean City law in 2007 that prohibits egregiously large signage and advertising in public and was heralded around the world, Tony de Marco went around photographing the empty spaces formerly occupied by these signs, some of which announce their former past through the presence of a ghost imprint burned into the walls by the sun and others by their hollowed-out metal skeletons. He caused somewhat of a sensation because the results were so interesting and one of the few projects to document this movement. De Marco just shared that he’s now one of the 10 recipients out of 190 entrants to receive a co-sponsorship for his short film documentary about the subject from the country’s Ministry of Culture, a heady award equivalent to $23,000. I’m not sure what the money will go toward or where there’s info about the film itself, but for sure, the movie will be integrated into the archives at the Sao Paulo Cultural Center. Currently, de Marco’s photos are on show as part of a group exhibit at the London Design Museum until the end of April. What’s more, filmmaker Wim Wenders will be including some of de Marco’s photos in scenes in his upcoming movie. Super inspiring work, Tony!