Alexandre Farto

Alexandre Farto (Lisbon, 1987) grew up in Seixal where, from very early on, he demonstrated a taste for urban art, attracted by the communicative power of graffiti, which he created on walls and subsequently on trains, under the name Vhils. In these first years, his works spread over the Portuguese capital, but also in other European cities to where he travelled at the time. He took residence in London, when he was nineteen years old, where he attended St. Martin’s School. At the same time, he started to explore new methods to communicate his art, developing an original sculpture technique in bas-relief, creating anonymous portraits, sculpted in walls or facades of abandoned houses, in London and later in other places. This original technique, acclaimed within street art and which would grant him worldwide recognition, is the basis of the Scratching the Surface project, presented for the first time in Lisbon, in 2007, and the following year in London, where it was part of the Cans Festival, organised by Bansky. Vhils explores other media and techniques as well, pyrotechnic explosions, video, installations and engravings with stencil on metal. In all his methods, however, portrait is the recurring theme, transforming common faces into icons. Since 2005, Vhils has had an intense exhibition activity, including conventional exhibitions, but also public intervention projects and other art events. He has had collaborations with institutions such as the Centre Pompidou (Paris), CAFA Art Museum (Beijing), the Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego (San Diego) and the EDP Foundation (Lisbon). We can also find his work in interior or exterior public spaces, in Moscow, New York, Cali, Bogota, Medelin, and many others. His most recent exhibitions include Realm (Galerie Danysz, Shanghai, 2019), Panorama (Arsham/Fleg Gallery, New York, 2019), Incisão (Caixa Cultural Brasilia, Brasilia, 2019), Haze (Contemporay Arts Center, Cincinnati, 2020), Prisma (MAAT, Lisbon, 2022).

Francisca Morais Vaz