Alexandre Farto aka VHILS, an established international contemporary artis, has developed a unique visual language based on the removal of the surface layers of walls and other media using unconventional tools and techniques. He began interacting with the urban environment through the practice of graffiti in the early 2000s.
Peeling back the layers of our material culture like a modern-day urban archaeologist, VHILS reflects on the impact of urbanity, development and global homogenisation on landscapes and people’s identities. Destroying to create, he delivers powerful and poetic visual statements using materials the city rejects, humanising depressed areas with his poignant large-scale portraits.
Since 2005, he has presented his work around the world in exhibitions, events and other contexts—from working with communities in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to collaborations with well-reputed institutions such as MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (Lisbon); MIMA – Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (Brussels); Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati); Le Centquatre-Paris (Paris); CAFA Art Museum (Beijing); Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation (Hong Kong); Palais de Tokyo (Paris); and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (San Diego), among others.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025 — Forever Is Now — Pyramids of Giza, Giza
2024 — We Are Here — Petit Palais, Paris
2024 — Icons of Urban Art — Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo
2025 — Strata — MUCA, Munich
2024 — Multitude — MIMA, Brussels
2022 — Prisma — MAAT, Lisbon
2023 — Beyond the Streets — Saatchi Gallery, London
2013 — Ex Situ — Centre Pompidou, Paris
2014 — Lasco Project #3 — Palais de Tokyo, Paris
2023 — L'Île Intérieure — Fondation Carmignac, Porquerolles
2023 — UNESCO Headquarters — Paris
2023 — Loading — Grand Palais Immersif, Paris
2015 — Barbican Centre — London (Station to Station)
2008 — Cans Festival — London
COLLECTIONS
V&A, Victoria and Albert Museum — London
Pérez Art Museum Miami — Miami
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego — San Diego
EDP Foundation Collection — Lisbon
MAR, Museu de Arte do Rio — Rio de Janeiro
MUCA, Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art — Munich
UNESCO Art Collection — Paris
