Scratching the Surface Project

Coining his signature style in 2007, Vhils (Alexandre Farto) uses dynamite and a chisel to create his paintless-portraits. In the decade prior, he was a prolific graffiti writer. The bas-relief portraiture he now creates across the globe is a visually arresting form of poetry. By digging through layers of concrete, cement and other building materials, Vhils exposes the old wounds of a wall and transforms them into something beautiful – a unique method which has carved VHILS a permanent place of his own in contemporary art.

Vhils is a recurring artist in Stavanger during the Nuart Festival. This piece from 2013 peers out from in between buildings, inviting viewers to take a closer look at his distinctive chiseling method.