VHILS is the tag name of Portuguese graffiti/street artist Alexandre Farto (born in 1987) He 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.
He was later given space to show his work by Banksy's agent, Steve Lazarides. Several of his works were featured in Outsiders, a collection of street art published by Century, 2008. He is also shown by Vera Cortes and Magda Danysz Gallery.
"Renovating the urban environment much like JR, is the innovative Portugese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. He manipulates a variety of surfaces to create his extraordinary vision. From the brick facade of buildings to peeling off layered flyposters, he reveals images that explore the sub-cultures and dynamism of a city. " (Juxtapoz Magazine)
"Generations meet and fall apart. Cultures are compelled to flow into big cities and gather there, the “Western bastion”, a world of dreamt opportunities that steals our roots, identity layers that overlap and are diluted, certain to create a new culture and to thin our essence, the path we want to follow is the one that leads us towards forgetting the place we came from…" (Lafamiglia Magazine)
“With my work, I try to delve into the several layers that compose the edifice of history, to take the shadows cast by this model of uniform development to try and understand what lies behind it.” (Vhils)
“In this act of excavating, it’s the process itself which is expressive, more than the final result. It’s a process of trying to reflect upon our own layers.” (Vhils)
Lives and works in London and Lisboa
Studies
2007-2008
University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins, Byam Shaw Fine Art Skills and Practices
Solo shows
2012 - Shadows and Reflections, 18 Gallery - Magda Danysz, Shanghai
2009 - Scratching the surface, Lazarides, Londron
2008 - Even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat, Vera Cortes Agencia de Arte, Lisbon
Group shows
2011 - Shadows and Reflections, Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris - MACE, Museu de arte contemporânea de Elvas, Alexandre Estrela, Alexandre Farto Aka Vhils, Ana Rito, Isabel Simões, João Louro, Luís Palma, Maria Lusitano, Marta Soares, Mauro Cerqueira, Miguel Ângelo Rocha, ±MAISMENOS±, Nuno Sousa Vieira, Pedro Barateiro, Rodrigo Oliveira e Rui Chafes
2010
-Underdogs: Vera Cortes Art Agency, Mar, Ram, Smart Bastard, Vhils, Adres, Sphiza, Kusca, Tosco -NuArt 2010 Festival , Norway: Blu, Vhils, Roa, Dolk, Ericailcane, Evol, M-city, Sten Lex, DotMasters, Alexandros Vasmoulakis. -Viva la Revolucion: A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego - - -- MCASD Downtown, San Diego, CA. ft. Akay (Sweden), Banksy (U.K.), Blu (Italy), Mark Bradford (U.S.), William Cordova (U.S.), Date Farmers (U.S.), Stephan Doitschinoff[CALMA] (Brazil), Dr. Lakra (Mexico), Dzine (U.S.), David Ellis (U.S.), FAILE (U.S.), Shepard Fairey (U.S.), Invader (France), JR (France), Barry McGee (U.S.), Ryan McGinness (U.S.), Moris (Mexico), Os Gemeos (Brazil), Swoon (U.S.), Vhils (Portugal) - Fame Festival 2010, Grottaglie South Italy, Blu (Italy), - Eurotrash, Lazarides Gallery, 320 North Beverly Drive, Los Angeles. Jr, Conor Harrington, Antony Micaleff, Alexandre Farto. --“Arte em Movimento” Carris, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, Susana Anágua, Vasco Araújo, Susana Mendes Silva.
2009 - Griffters, Lazarides Gallery, 11 Rathbone Place, London. Faile, Paul Insect, JR, Antony Micallef, Jonathan Yeo, Miranda Donovan, Invader, David Choe, Mark Jenkins, Todd James, Vhils, Polly Morgan, Mode 2, BAST, Conor Harrington, Zevs, Blu, Borf and Ian Francis - Exposição *04, Bes Arte e Finança, Lisbon - Fame Festival 2009, Grottaglie South Italy - Visual Street Performance 2009, Primary School of Rua das Gaivotas, Lisbon, with: HBSR, Hium, I am From Lx, Klit, Mar, Mosaik, Time e Vhils (Alexandre Farto), David Walker, Smile, Uber, Chure, Bray, Speedy, Nurea and Glam - Grow-up, Lazarides Gallery, 11 Rathbone Place, London. Faile, Paul Insect, JR, Antony Micallef, Jonathan Yeo, Miranda Donovan, Invader, David Choe, Mark Jenkins, Todd James, Vhils, Polly Morgan, Mode 2, BAST, Conor Harrington, Zevs, Blu, Borf and Ian Francis
2008 - Outsiders, Lazarides, New York [ artists: Faile, Paul Insect, JR, Antony Micallef, Jonathan Yeo, Miranda Donovan, Invader, David Choe, Mark Jenkins, Todd James, Vhils, Polly Morgan, Mode 2, BAST, Conor Harrington, Zevs, Blu, Borf and Ian Francis ]
- Under A Red Sky, StolenSpace Gallery, East London [ artists: Vitche (Brazil), Jana (Brazil),Vhils (Portugal), Word To Mother (U.K), Shepard Fairey (U.S) & Andrew McAttee (U.K) ]
2007 - Visual Street Performance 2007, Braço de Prata Factory, Braço de Prata, Lisbon [ Collective “VSP” Exhibition Hbsr, Klit, Ram, Hium, Vhils - Alexandre Farto, Time and Mar. Participations and Workshops, PRM crew and Maclaim ]
2006 - Visual Street Performance III, exhibition by the Collective (Hbsr, Klit, Ram, Hium, Vhils–Alexandre Farto-, Time And Mar) – Fábrica do Braço de Prata, Lisbon.
- Visual Street Performance II, exhibition By The Collective (Hbsr, Klit, Ram, Hium, Vhils–Alexandre Farto-, Time And Mar) - Interpress, Bairro Alto, Lisboa.
- Compact Life, Vera Cortes Art Agency
- Centro Cultural Maus Hábitos, Hábitos de Rua, Group Exhibition. Other participating artists included Klit, Hbsr, Hium, Ram, Kayo, Kaos, Eith And Boris Hoppek (Spain)
2005 - Graffiti Show, Escola Adães Bermudes, Alcobaça, Portugal - Visual Street Performance, Exhibition By The Collective (Hbsr, Klit, Ram, Hium, Time And Mar), Also Featuring The American Photographer Martha Cooper. Interpress, Bairro Alto, Lisbon - Graffiti2005, Group Exhibition With Ram And Mosaik, Centro Cultural Malaposta, Odivelas, Portugal
2004 - ¼ De Graff #2, Group Exhibition, Oficina da Juventude, Miratejo, Portugal
2003 - Arte Urbana, Group Exhibition, Vila Franca De Xira, Portugal - 8th Young Painters Prize Show, Culturgest, Lisbon
Site-specific
2010 -ArtBo art fair: Bogotá, Vera Cortes Art Agency,
2009 “O futuro não conheço. O passado, já o não tenho”, Entrance of ABBC building 2008 - The Cans Festival, [ artists: Bsas Stencil, Run Don’t Walk, James Dodd (dlux), Tom Civil (civilian), Vexta, Prism, Daniel Melim, Altocontraste, Bandit, Roadsworth, 3D Del Naja, Artiste-Ouvrier. Blek, Sten, Sadhu, C215, Lucamaleonte, Lex, Orticancvoodles, Kaagman, Dolk, Pobel, M-City, Vhils, Btoy, Coolture, Schhh, Borbo, Sam3, Faile, Eine, John Grider, Logan Hicks, Pure Evil, Dot masters, Dan, Eelus and Banksy ]
2007 - Re-installation of Building 3 steps in MACE, Museum of Contemporary Art of Elvas, Portugal - Building 3 steps (Alexandre Farto | Miguel Maurício), Promontório Galeria, Lisbon
2006 - Scaling the Great Wall of China, event promoted by Jason Associates, Hotel Ritz, Lisbon - Intervention at the Vera Cortês Stand, together with Martinha Maia, Arte Lisboa 2006