Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto aka Vhils, has been interacting visually with the urban environment  since his days as a prolific graffiti writer in the early-to-mid 2000s.

He was influenced by the transformations brought on by the intensive urban development the country underwent in the 1980s and 1990s. He was particularly inspired by the way city walls absorb the social and historical changes that take place around them. Applying his original methods of creative destruction, Vhils digs into the surface layers of our material culture like a contemporary urban archaeologist, exposing what lies beyond the superficiality of things, making visible the invisible.

The piece "look at Porto" combines natural and human elements, with the figure’s eye gazing out poetically towards the city and its old neighbourhoods, humanising the built environment while highlighting the wealth of its human heritage.

 

His unique approach and artwork have been garnering critical acclaim around the globe.