Vhils is now part of the BLDG residence until April 17th. Expect new works and updates in the coming days. Official press release inside.
“Urban Contemporary Art phenom Vhils In Residence”
The BLDG is pleased to announce the arrival and residency of urban contemporary art phenom Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils. Vhils intends to travel the Tri-state area to get a flavor of local culture and customs, collecting resources for an outdoor installation where he will fashion his piece into an urban structure. Additionally, he will collaborate with BLDG founder Mike Amann to produce limited edition pieces. Amann has unique relationships with artists working in this genre. He finds that they enjoy the authenticity of local people and places, experiencing Americana very differently here than other destinations. “The artists really connect here. They experience our place and carry it forward. Who would have thought, contemporary works referencing Skyline Chili and Makers Mark would be hanging in renowned galleries in Europe.“
While at the BLDG Vhils will encourage visitors to engage and experience his creative processes and to learn the visual language of his art. A process reveal demonstrating the intricacy and sequence of the artist’s technique will be open for public viewing on April 15, 7:00-11:00 PM at the BLDG, 30 West Pike Street, Covington, Kentucky.
Amann is working closely with the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, one of the nation’s oldest and most celebrated contemporary art institutions, to expand the reach and impact of Vhils’ residency. Amann remarks, “It is amazing to have an acclaimed artist of Vhils importance in residence and to have the opportunity to coordinate an installation of his work as part of CAC’s public art projects for the exhibition Keith Haring: 1978-1982.” During the run of that exhibition, CAC will be executing public art projects with various contemporary street artists from around the world, bringing into view Haring’s legacy as a precursor to contemporary street art.
Vhils has amassed an astonishing body of work both in the street and in the gallery. Notable exhibitions include: “Grifters”, London; “Fame Festival”’ Italy; “Scratching the Surface” and “The Outsiders”, Lazarides, New York; and “the Cans Festival.”
Born in Portugal, and influenced by the country’s dichotomy of politics and enterprise following the 1974 Revolution, Vhils notes, “I was deeply affected by the sharp contrast created between the decadent revolutionary murals and their ideals and the glamorous appeal of advertising…. the poetics of decay that resulted from it left an enduring influence on me.”
Vhils took to the streets of Lisbon at an early age to explore and portray the complexity of his environment. Using an urban canvas of gargantuan scale he developed unconventional techniques to juxtapose layers of decaying urban structures exposing oddments of time to create stunning portrait installations. There is something haunting about the massive portraits of this young prodigy. His inner eye senses and releases that which lies just beneath the surface.
His work is beyond extraordinary.
RESIDENCE: “Vhils in studio at The BLDG” April 4 – 17, 2011
OUTREACH: Vhils and BLDG working with CAC in support of Public Art Project April 7 – 14, 2011
REVEAL: Vhils process reveal open for public viewing at the BLDG – April 15, 2011, 7PM to 11PM
