Alexandre Farto (Lisbon, 1987), known as Vhils, began his career as a graffiti artist in the early 2000s. He developed a unique approach to “creative destruction,” carving into the layers of the city to reveal what lies beneath: forgotten memories, personal histories, and erased identities.

Using industrial tools to sculpt walls, wood, metal, and stone, he transforms discarded urban materials into powerful, poetic works. His Scratching the Surface project, first presented in Lisbon in 2007 and later in London, marked a turning point in contemporary urban art.

Raised in Seixal, an industrial suburb of Lisbon, Vhils draws inspiration from the urban transformations of the 1980s and ’90s. His work explores themes of identity, globalization, and the tension between the local and the global.

Exhibited worldwide, from the Palais de Tokyo to the Barbican Centre, from Beijing’s CAFA Art Museum to Lisbon’s MAAT, his singular visual language has established him as one of the most influential artists of his generation.