Upon walking into London's theprintspace, my eyes lit up as I saw an array of spectacular customised guitars; each one graffed-up, funked-up, gleaming with sheer genius graffsmanship. As a guitar player, I felt to snatch and vanish ninja-style, until I remembered - these were up for auction, and all proceeds were going to the poorest children in Brazil. Bugger.

A Força da Rua (Force of the Street) exhibition, which opens to the public this week, had the slickest UK graffiti alongside the very best kept graffing secrets repping from the developing cities of Brazil - all set up and brought together by ABC (Action For Brazil's Children's Trust). The organisation, who support the AA Çianca children-aid project in the Sé region of Sao Paulo, created the event to raise funds and awareness of Brazil’s most vulnerable youngsters - of which there are over 12,000 (in Sao Paulo alone) roaming the streets without a home or family. Lucky for them the limited edition prints, special commissions and especially the 12 exclusive guitars on show (six by Brazilian graffers and six by Brits) had large packs of people hovering around, itching for their chequebooks. Unfortunately I don't own a chequebook and have just enough money in my wallet for a bus ride home.

Nevertheless, despite my lack of funds, this display was a privilege to see - as pieces by the Brazilian maestros including Speto and Titi Freak offered a dazzling taste of their country's folk culture, the background and reality of their impoverished nation. The spray paint on canvas, board, and guitar spoke volumes, emphasising AA Çianca coordinator, Everaldo Santos Oliveira's perception of the art form in Brazil: "The presence of graffiti is so strong. It's the voice of the youth. For them it's a way of communicating and establishing identity."

In theprintspace basement, a short film was being shown documenting the story and impact of the A Force de Gua project. I pried myself away from the six-string plug-in babies to grab some words from delighted director Lorna Lavelle: "This exhibition is amazing. It shows a positive and beautiful side of Brazil, whilst raising awareness about the children and promoting a new platform for Brazilian graffiti artists on the UK scene." Producer Terence Teh praised the South American work comparing it to the "golden age of graffiti - the days of Stash and Futura."

Everyone seemed satisfied, including Pure Evil, one of the UK graffers who decided to take part. Having briefly encountered Sao Paola in 2001, he reminisces over the three days spent there as "too much to handle" with the image of street children sleeping on pieces of cardboard "burned into my retina." Now he says is a great time for young graffers (from UK to Brazil) to make a mark on, and in society, using their skill as “a tool to change people's points of view, in turn change a vote, in time change a country."

Scoping for potential buyers for the auction (which takes place on Wednesday April 29th), Pure Evil added: "Whether people come here to learn about and help street kids in Brazil, or they simply want a cool guitar to buy, this is a great of way of opening eyes to the other side of the world."

I'd personally prefer both, but I'd settle for your guitar Mr Evil.


EXHIBITION:
Thursday 23rd April - Monday 12th May
theprintspace, 74 Kingsland Road, London, E2
With graff work by D*Face, Inkie, Remi/Rough, Will Barras, Kid Acne, Pure Evil, Titi Freak, Danile Melim, Tinho, Ramon Martins, Calma and Speto.

AUCTION:
Wednesday 29th April
Central London, private venue
If you're interested in bidding at the auction of the 12 graffed-up guitars, please contact [email protected] or visit www.forceofthestreet.com for more information