Organised by CAFA Art Museum, Department of Mural Painting at CAFA, Embassy of Portugal in China and Vhils Studio, and implemented with the joint support of REN (State Grid Corporation of Portugal), China Three Gorges Corporation and UNICER (Brewery Corporation of Portugal), “Imprint” was the first solo exhibition in Beijing by the well-known Portuguese visual artist, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. It displayed the artist’s new works and was opened in the exhibition hall 3B at the CAFA Art Museum on Friday, 30 June 2017, remained on view till 23 July 2017. Vhils also attended the opening ceremony.
Renowned for his iconic visual language, unique carving technique, and various materials as mediums, Vhils was selected by Forbes Magazine to be ranked in the “30 Under 30 in Art & Style” list in 2015. His artworks offer a profound reflection on the relationship between human and environment, highlighting the poetic dimensions of the present-day human condition and contemporary urban and social environment. Vhils is most famous for his numerous creations in public spaces, carving street portraits on the wall, also, many of his works are also widely appeared in solo and group exhibitions around the world. “Imprint” further presented the artist’s thoughts on the subtle relationship between contemporary cities and its inhabitants.
Vhils’s artworks have long been focused on the urbanization of contemporary societies and the complexity of modern cities, from which an artistic style is gradually developed for the artist to record the human conditions of the present day.
“Imprint” featured its unique installations through the richly use of a single medium – the artist’s most recognizable bas-relief wall carving technique, which was rooted in the visual narrative of “Scratching the Surface” series created by Vhils in 2007. Constituted by a total of 70 portraits, “Imprint” was regarded as an introductory statement to gradually unfold the fundamental mission behind the artworks: a new role was shaped by the interaction between the city and its inhabitants.
Taking Beijing’s reality as its starting point, this set of installations also symbolically presented the similar processes which the artist has experienced in other cities around the world. Vhils sought to create a group of sentimental sculptures of the ordinary people in an organic approach, each of which represented the numerous stories of a silent portrait that have brought energy to the city. Taking a broad view of these works, each displayed a unique print of one moment, speaking of how individuals are affected differently by the urban environment and cultural context they live. However, despite the individuality and uniqueness fully expressed in each portrait, the same structure materials on which these images are carved revealed a kind of uniformity and identification. Since the mass-produced plasterboards can be easily found on the construction sites and buildings all over the world.
With the artist’s aspiration to personify the urban landscape, the exhibition attempted to let the viewers re-think the real human status behind the seemly bright yet complicated urban ecological environment. Thus, “Imprint” is not only an analytical observation of the characteristics of contemporary urban life but also a poetic gesture highlighting the transformation of the homogenization in human development.
Organised by CAFA Art Museum, Department of Mural Painting at CAFA, Embassy of Portugal in China and Vhils Studio, and implemented with the joint support of REN (State Grid Corporation of Portugal), China Three Gorges Corporation and UNICER (Brewery Corporation of Portugal), “Imprint” was the first solo exhibition in Beijing by the well-known Portuguese visual artist, Alexandre Farto aka Vhils. It displayed the artist’s new works and was opened in the exhibition hall 3B at the CAFA Art Museum on Friday, 30 June 2017, remained on view till 23 July 2017. Vhils also attended the opening ceremony.
Renowned for his iconic visual language, unique carving technique, and various materials as mediums, Vhils was selected by Forbes Magazine to be ranked in the “30 Under 30 in Art & Style” list in 2015. His artworks offer a profound reflection on the relationship between human and environment, highlighting the poetic dimensions of the present-day human condition and contemporary urban and social environment. Vhils is most famous for his numerous creations in public spaces, carving street portraits on the wall, also, many of his works are also widely appeared in solo and group exhibitions around the world. “Imprint” further presented the artist’s thoughts on the subtle relationship between contemporary cities and its inhabitants.
Vhils’s artworks have long been focused on the urbanization of contemporary societies and the complexity of modern cities, from which an artistic style is gradually developed for the artist to record the human conditions of the present day.
“Imprint” featured its unique installations through the richly use of a single medium – the artist’s most recognizable bas-relief wall carving technique, which was rooted in the visual narrative of “Scratching the Surface” series created by Vhils in 2007. Constituted by a total of 70 portraits, “Imprint” was regarded as an introductory statement to gradually unfold the fundamental mission behind the artworks: a new role was shaped by the interaction between the city and its inhabitants.
Taking Beijing’s reality as its starting point, this set of installations also symbolically presented the similar processes which the artist has experienced in other cities around the world. Vhils sought to create a group of sentimental sculptures of the ordinary people in an organic approach, each of which represented the numerous stories of a silent portrait that have brought energy to the city. Taking a broad view of these works, each displayed a unique print of one moment, speaking of how individuals are affected differently by the urban environment and cultural context they live. However, despite the individuality and uniqueness fully expressed in each portrait, the same structure materials on which these images are carved revealed a kind of uniformity and identification. Since the mass-produced plasterboards can be easily found on the construction sites and buildings all over the world.
With the artist’s aspiration to personify the urban landscape, the exhibition attempted to let the viewers re-think the real human status behind the seemly bright yet complicated urban ecological environment. Thus, “Imprint” is not only an analytical observation of the characteristics of contemporary urban life but also a poetic gesture highlighting the transformation of the homogenization in human development.
