Scratching the Surface Project / Brussels
Brussels, Belgium
In his work, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils (b. 1987) digs surfaces to reveal. His visual poetry destroys to create, revealing what lies beneath the layers of the urban environment and exposing what exists symbolically beyond, such as memory and history. It speaks of resistance. Portraits of anonymous people, their faces, eyes and expressions are engraved in his works as an ongoing reflection on identity, on life in contemporary urban societies and their saturated environments.
This new public work is an important part of the Scratching the Surface project, a global initiative that the artist has been bringing to life in numerous locations around the world. The carnation, a powerful symbol of resistance, is a poignant reminder of the 25 April 1975 revolution in the artist’s native Portugal. It marked the end of 48 years of dictatorship and the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa, making it a symbol of hope and change.
This wall is inaugurated simultaneously with Vhils’ solo exhibition at MIMA – “Multitude” –, a comprehensive show about the relationship between individuals and cities, memory and forgetting.