Alexandre Farto Contemporary Urban Artist and Wall Carving Pioneer

Alexandre Farto, internationally recognized by the pseudonym Vhils, is a pioneering figure in contemporary urban art, best known for his revolutionary Scratching the Surface series. His practice, which he characterizes as creative destruction, involves a meticulous subtractive process where he carves, etches, and drills into the stratified layers of city walls, billboards, and other urban materials to reveal monumental relief portraits. By utilizing unconventional tools such as jackhammers, chisels, stonecutter's hammers, and even controlled explosives, Alexandre Farto transforms the physical fabric of the city into a complex canvas, unearthing the histories and memories embedded within its surfaces. Born in 1987 in Lisbon, Alexandre Farto gained global acclaim in 2008 when his work was showcased alongside major street artists at the Cans Festival in London. Since then, he has created site-specific installations and public murals across Portugal and in international cities including Paris, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, and Montreal. His work often features portraits of local residents, aiming to humanize anonymous urban spaces and spark a dialogue on the impact of globalization and the ephemeral nature of city life. In addition to his public interventions, Alexandre Farto experiments with a plurality of media including laser-cut metal, neon lights, and bleach-treated advertising posters, continuously pushing the boundaries of contemporary visual expression and challenging the material and symbolic makeup of modern urban environments.