As you know from yesterday’s article, Vhils is the tag name of Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto. He started doing graffiti in the early 2000s and soon after started experimenting with different techniques.
Vhils allegedly gained prominence when his work of a face carved into a wall appeared alongside a picture by street artist Banksy at the Cans Festival in London in 2008. A photograph of him creating the work appeared on the front page of The Times.
Vhils creates his unique wall art by dissecting poster ads and carving into or excavating walls with tools such as etching acid, bleach, pneumatic drills and other processes, to reveal their layers.
~ By Vhils ~ Nuit Blanche, Paris, France – Photo: alexandrefarto.com
Alexandre explains what inspires him: “I try focusing on the act of destruction to create; this is something I have brought over from graffiti. I believe we are all composed by layer upon layer of social and historical fabric. Our social system is the product of this same process of layers, and I believe that by removing and exposing some of these layers—in fact, by destroying them—we might be able to reach something purer, something of what we used to be and have forgotten all about. It’s all very symbolical so take it as a semi-archaeological dissecting of layers of history and culture.”
– Alexandre Farto/Vhils for Wynwood Walls
~ By Vhils ~ Sydney, Australia – Photo: alexandrefarto.com
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