Armed with cans of spray paint, masks and gloves, a gang of septuagenarian graffiti artists are hitting the streets of Lisbon on a mission not just to add color to drab streets, but also to defy ageist stereotypes.

Known virally as “Graffiti Grandmas,” they are now Lisbon street artists tagging city walls to leave their marks.

It began as a single street art workshop for senior citizens. Members of Lata 65, a WOOL Fest arts education group for seniors founded by Lara Rodrigues, learn about the history of street art and how to create their own stencils, then hit the streets of neglected corners of the city to apply their colorful stenciled artworks.

Rodrigues’s aims to bridge the generation gap by engaging older individuals in new forms of contemporary art.

Through Lata 65’s senior-focused seminars and two-day workshops, Rodrigues hopes to break down ageist stereotypes and cultural perceptions about older folks.

At the end of each class, her students head to the streets for practical applications–in this case, on walls–equipped with handmade stencils, loads of spray paint, and a chutzpah that might be the envy of their younger cohorts.

Photography / Fotografia, Pedro Sadio, LATA 65