Vhils | Entry 3

   Street art is mostly thought of just graffiti, however to Portuguese artist Vhils, that is only scratching the surface. Alexandre Farto, also known as Vhils, has been producing street art since the early to mid-2000s. He grew up in Seixal, Portugal and was influenced by the urban transformation Portugal underwent in the 1980s and 1990s. He originally experimented with creative destruction but soon started to dig into the surface of the material like an archaeologist but for art.

   Alexandre believes that everyone is made of layers of both social and historical concepts. He takes away the top layers, which are usually used by many as a facade, to show the true form of the piece. He also values the idea of acknowledging ordinary people, not just celebrities. Vhils takes the art of destruction to a new level by destroying the material to uncover the history and truth that lies underneath. 

Right: A piece apart of Vhils' Scratching the Surface project in Lisbon










Citations:
- Street Art Bio. Accessed October 25, 2019. http://www.streetartbio.com/vhils.

- Vhils. Accessed October 25, 2019. https://www.vhils.com/about/.