Strates Urbaines, Gare de Orly, Paris, France, 2024
This 34-meter-long mosaic made with traditional Portuguese ceramic tiles marks the beginning of a new medium in Alexandre Farto aka Vhils’ work.
“This project marks my foray into a new medium, working on it for the past 4 years. I’ve worked on a massive tile mural, composed of over 11,000 uniquely carved and hand-finished tiles.” – Alexandre Farto aka Vhils
Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, Strates Urbaines, Orly station, Paris,2024
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UNESCO: SUBSTRATUM – Scratching the Surface project, 2024
It is a large-scale mural commissioned by UNESCO for its Paris headquarters that seeks to highlight the organisation’s pivotal role in the promotion of global cooperation towards the aims of establishing peace and security through education, science, and culture, along with respect for justice, the rule of law, human rights, and freedom according to the UN Charter.
Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, SUBSTRATUM – Scratching the Surface project | UNESCO, 2023. ©JoséPandoLucas
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Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, detail of SUBSTRATUM – Scratching the Surface project | UNESCO, 2023. ©JoséPandoLucas
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Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, detail of SUBSTRATUM – Scratching the Surface project | UNESCO, 2023. ©JoséPandoLucas
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Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, detail of SUBSTRATUM – Scratching the Surface project | UNESCO, 2023. ©JoséPandoLucas
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Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, detail of SUBSTRATUM – Scratching the Surface project | UNESCO, 2023. ©JoséPandoLucas
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EDP Art Reef, Albufeira, Portugal
“Created using repurposed parts from deactivated power stations, this exhibition is located on the seabed one nautical mile off the coast of Albufeira in the Algarve. With time, the surrounding elements will take over and fill these large structures with life, ultimately transforming them into a brand new coral reef.” – Alexandre Farto aka Vhils
Whitlock, Washington DC, 2024
“I aimed to carve out a reminder of Marvin Gaye’s impact on music and culture, especially for the community where he grew up.
You’ll find it soon in the renewed Lorraine Whitlock Elementary School, hopefully for many generations to come and see.” – Alexandre Farto aka Vhils
Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, Whitlock, Washington D.C., USA, 2024
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CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Switzerland, 2024
New commissioned work for CERN’s building 866. The artwork is part of an initiative by the Site and Civil Engineering (SCE) Department, depicting two workers.
Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, CERN Wall, 2024 © Marina Cavazza
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Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, CERN Wall, 2024 © Marina Cavazza
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Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, CERN Wall, 2024 © Marina Cavazza
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BIO
Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils (b. 1987) has developed a unique visual language based on the removal of the surface layers of walls and other media with non-conventional tools and techniques. He began interacting with the urban environment through the practice of graffiti in the early 2000s. Peeling back the layers of our material culture like a modern-day urban archaeologist, Vhils reflects on the impact of urbanity, development and global homogenisation on landscapes and people’s identities. Destroying to create, he delivers powerful and poetic visual statements from materials the city rejects, humanising depressed areas with his poignant large-scale portraits. Since 2005 he has been presenting his work around the world in exhibitions, events and other contexts – from working with communities in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to collaborations with well-reputed institutions such as MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (Lisbon); MIMA Museum (Brussels); Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati); Le Centquatre-Paris (Paris); CAFA Art Museum (Beijing); Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation (Hong Kong); Palais de Tokyo (Paris); and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (San Diego), among others. An avid experimentalist, besides his groundbreaking bas-relief carving technique, Vhils has been developing his personal aesthetics in a plurality of media: from stencil painting to metal etching, from pyrotechnic explosions and video to sculptural installations. He has also directed several music videos, short films, and two stage productions.
His work is represented in several public and private collections in various countries.
O artista português Alexandre Farto aka Vhils (n. 1987) tem desenvolvido uma linguagem visual singular com base na remoção das camadas superficiais de paredes e outros suportes através de ferramentas e técnicas não convencionais, estabelecendo reflexões simbólicas sobre a identidade, a relação de interdependência entre pessoas e o meio circundante, e a vida nas sociedades urbanas contemporâneas, assim como o impacto do desenvolvimento, da passagem do tempo e da transformação material. Tendo começado a interagir com o espaço urbano através da prática do graffiti no começo da década de 2000, Vhils tem sido aclamado como um dos mais inovadores artistas da sua geração. Os seus poéticos e comoventes retratos gravados em paredes delapidadas podem ser vistos a adornar paisagens urbanas pelo mundo fora. Com base na sua estética do vandalismo, Vhils destrói para criar – entalhando, cortando, perfurando e fazendo explodir através das camadas dos materiais. Porém, como um arqueólogo, Vhils remove de forma a expor, revelando a beleza que se encontra soterrada sob a superfície das coisas.
Desde 2005, tem apresentado o seu trabalho em mais de 30 países do mundo em exposições individuais e colectivas, intervenções artísticas site-specific, eventos artísticos e projectos em vários contextos – desde o trabalho com comunidades nas favelas do Rio de Janeiro, a colaborações com instituições de arte de renome como o MAAT – Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia (Lisboa), Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati), Le Centquatre-Paris (Paris), Centre Pompidou (Paris), CAFA Art Museum (Pequim), ou o Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (San Diego), entre outros. Um ávido experimentalista, Vhils tem vindo a desenvolver a sua estética pessoal numa pluralidade de meios para além da sua técnica de escultura caraterística: da pintura a stencil à gravura em metal, das explosões pirotécnicas e do vídeo às instalações escultóricas. Também realizou vários videoclips, curtas-metragens e duas produções de palco.
Encontra-se representado em diversas colecções públicas e privadas em vários países.
