For years, Vhils has been pushing the boundaries of graffiti and urban art by constantly changing his approach and using different techniques and materials. Now some of the Portuguese artist's most famous works are part of the Selected Editions 2008-2024 exhibition at Lisbon's MUDE Design Museum.
The Selected Editions 2008-2024 exhibition at the MUDE Design Museum in Lisbon is showcasing a selection of works from the last two decades by Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, better known as Vhils.
Famous for his visual language rooted in graffiti and urban art, Vhils has been building an oeuvre that transcends cultures and addresses themes such as identity, memory, urban development and the tensions between local realities and global models.
Vhils work stands out for its constant exploration of different materials and techniques, often using unconventional tools with a strong communicative intent.
The innovative manual and industrial techniques (particularly printing) that Vhils tests on such diverse media as paper, stone, concrete and ceramics are challenges for his artistic expression and, potential factors in modernising the manufacturing processes of the brands and companies that collaborate with him.
"My editions are reproductions, but I'm interested in corrupting the automated production process. It's like working on a wall without knowing what's underneath, the work is moulded by the layers of history within the material itself. I go beyond the surface, using techniques such as perforating the paper or burning it with acid to reveal its interior," Vhils explained.
The works chosen to be in the exhibition emphasise the central role they play in Vhils' artistic practice, functioning as a space for experimentation and collaboration with other artists.
"It is within this reflection - and the accelerated model of global development - that I try to capture the traces of what is happening now. To create a desire to pause, look at our surroundings and perhaps moderate the amount of information we absorb through our eyes, because it may be making us disappear in some way," said Vhils.
"Maybe we're living in a moment when we should value the achievements of the old system and the welfare state a little more - the victories we've gained through them - rather than constantly dismantling them. We don't really know what it means to live without these achievements. Today, being anti-system can mean resisting this narrative of infinite accumulation of information that destroys what has been built, simply because we have never experienced life without things like running water at home," he added.
At the same time, the CLAY tile collection is being presented, an initiative in which various artists, designers and architects are collaborating. This collection emphasises the artist's recent interest in tiles, proposing a contemporary reinterpretation of a tradition deeply linked to Portuguese culture.
The Vhils exhibition is on until 1 March and admission is free for Lisbon residents on Fridays from 5pm to 8pm and Sundays from 10am to 2pm.
