The CAC is excited to host an exhibition of Portuguese street artist Alexandre Farto (aka Vhils) in Spring 2020. Vhils is renowned for his unusual technique of removing the surface layers of urban walls to create riveting portraits and imagery. Using construction tools like hammers, chisels and pneumatic drills, the artist exposes and confronts architectural surfaces as they narrate the history of a city itself. Etching acid and bleach onto urban walls, Vhils sculpts pieces with texture, dimension and layers. His subject is almost always the same: the faces of anonymous city residents. Part artist, stone mason and archeologist, he gives careful attention to common people inhabiting their cities. Vhils’ walls serve as both canvas and historical context for themes of identity, the passage of time and interdependence between people and environments. The artist also works in other diverse media including screen prints, wood, metal, recycled paper and more.

Vhils’ art has been presented in art museums and galleries in over 30 countries; one of his pieces was even placed aboard the International Space Station in 2015. Vhils is creating a public wall work for the Blink festival. The CAC exhibition is Vhils’ first ever large-scale exhibition in the United States.

Artist

Vhils

Sponsored by

Jim and Linda MillerJames L. and Linda F. Miller Stephen and Sandra JoffeJimmy and Lauren MillerDavid and Isabela GrutmanJason McCaw Exhibition FundPrivate Gallery of John J. TilleyRonnie and John, In Memory of Carl Solway