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Introduction
Art as a way of peoples expression in a public manner has been an ongoing practice throughout the existence of humanity. However, unlike conventional or classic art approaches, graffiti and street art accomplish the goal of public display effectively by exposing the general public to the themes portrayed by artists. Graffiti artists of the modern time create their work in the streets buildings by applying conventional techniques, such as painting, and controversial ones, such as destruction or scratching. One of the artists who use an alternative way of creating street art is Alexandre Farto under the artistic name Vhils. His techniques, main themes, and key works will be explored in this essay, along with an in-depth analysis of one of his latest works, namely the mural devoted to Marielle Franco. This paper is designed to outline the implementation of the themes of justice, existential and philosophical views on human personality as a part of social constructs, and the role of revolution in the artistic works by Vhils.
Introducing Alexandre Farto (Vhils)
Alexandre Farto, known as Vhils, is a Portuguese street artist and graffiti writer who has generated a revolutionary approach to graffiti and mural creation. His novel style promotes street art in modern times by making it a means of expressing social and existential positions. The artist was born in 1987 and entered the art world in the 2000s by creating his first Scratching the Surface project that was first presented to the public at the VSP group exhibition in Lisbon in 2007 ( About par. 2). Vhils commonly creates in urban spaces on the walls or doors of the buildings and indoors. The artist has participated in numerous art festivals and has initiated multiple shows and collaborations in his native Portugal, Brazil, France, the USA, and many other world countries (Contemporary Arts Center 4). Vhils has been recognized as an outstanding performer who constructs art by deconstructing. His unique technique bears a significant symbolic meaning, which will be addressed in the next section.
General Characteristics of Vhils Graffiti Works
The graffiti writer was born in the country when the influence of a recent revolution was felt. Vhils generated his unique style under the influence of the realities he observed in the urban spaces and the social reality he observed in peoples lives. Importantly, one of the major appearances of Vhils as a mural artist was around the time of the commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in 2014. Indeed, despite years after the revolution, the political, economic, and social situation in the country was desperate, which triggered a new wave of revolutionary activity in the artistic circles (Rendeiro 179). Within the context of recurring protests and slogans proclaiming that Povo unido jamais será vencido (People united will never be defeated), Vhils created his works of art (Rendeiro 181). Using graffiti as a way of expression, the artist reinforced social justice, equality, and the complexity of human personality as a construct resulting from social influences and locality.
To express these themes and emphasize the role of chaos and destruction within a revolutionary environment, Vhils has generated a unique technique. He often refers to drilling into plaster and brick to create relief portraits as well as uses etching acid, bleach, and pneumatic drills (Bagley 26). Such a destructive approach is symbolic in a two-fold way. Firstly, it demonstrates the interdependence between people and revolution as a significant hardship. Secondly, it demonstrates the multi-layered nature of human personalities resembled in the layers of the walls ( About ). The cultural and social relevance of the portraits is validated by the depiction of random individuals faces or historical figures on the walls of the buildings to highlight specific issues or people. There is an abundance of murals in different world cities that have made Vhils a famous graffiti writer of the modern art world. One of the recent works that might provide significant insights into the themes and techniques of the artist is the mural devoted to Marielle Franco in Vhils home city, Lisbon.
Analysis of the Mural Devoted to Marielle Franco
Mural to commemorate Marielle Franco was created in 2018 in Lisbon. The photograph of the analyzed work is presented in Figure 1 and depicts the face of Marielle Franco drilled on the surface of the wall (see Figure 1). Franco was a Brazilian human rights activist who was shot dead during protests. Franco stood out for denouncing human rights violations, especially against black youth, women and LGBTI people ( Scratching the Surface Project par. 1). According to Cardoso, graffiti plays an important role in the art of the globalization era by attracting the publics attention to the problems experienced by humanity and the importance of cultural identity in the overall changing world (84-85). The analyzed mural created by Vhils vividly demonstrates this characteristic.
Being created within the Scratching the Surface Project framework, the mural devoted to Marielle Franco is a vivid example of Vhils technique. The face is drilled on the walls surface with different levels of exposing the layers of the surface of the wall. The play of colors and depth of the scratches on the walls creates a combination of dark and light colors that create the portrait. The portrait of the Brazilian activist was influenced by the lack of progress in investigating her murder which symbolizes the reluctance of governments to ensure justice and rightfully pay tribute to activists ( Scratching the Surface Project ). Thus, by creating this mural, Vhils aimed to emphasize the contribution of Franco into the modern liberation movement and raised a social issue of the prevalence of political forces that obstruct human rights.
Furthermore, by connecting destruction and visual art, Vhils manages to convey its beauty despite being composed of scratched and broken concrete and bricks. In the artists opinion, such a technique emphasizes the interconnectedness between the environment and people ( About ). The multiple layers on the walls represent the complexity of ones personality, thus representing the portrayed figures symbolic story of life and cultural relevance.
Conclusion
In summation, the artworks created by a Portuguese graffiti writer Vhils represent a qualitatively new and even revolutionary approach to street art creation. Using destruction to construct street art plays a symbolic role in representing the complexity of globalized societies and the depth of personality. Moreover, as the example of the mural commemorating Marielle Franco demonstrates, Vhils work helps emphasize cultural and social themes in contemporary art by attracting the general publics attention to relevant topics.
References
About. Vhils. Web.
Bagley, Mark. MakingA Statement-Exploration of 3D Printing Technologies as a form of Customisation and Ownership in Urban Spaces. Thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, 2017.
Cardoso, Maria da Luz Nolasco. Graffiti or gettingup . Street Art & Urban Creativity Scientific Journal, vol. 3, no. 2, 2017, pp. 84-89.
Contemporary Arts Center. Vhils: Haze February 21, 2020 January 12, 2021. Web.
Rendeiro, Margarida. Masculinities on the Wall. Humanities Bulletin, vol. 1, no. 1, 2018, pp. 179-196.
Scratching the Surface Project. Vhils, 2018. Web.
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