ACC - Creative Network - Distrito Tec - Vhils

The Public Art Program (PAP) is an initiative of DistritoTec (a project led by the Tecnológico de Monterrey University - the largest University in Mexico) that aims to create bonds within the community through artistic experiences in public spaces across the city of Monterrey, located in the north of Mexico. This project has impacted the lives of approximately 20,000 people living in the DistritoTec area.

While preparing the sketch for the mural, Vhils decided to represent a female student, emphasizing that the future the students are building is inclusive and that opportunities need to be both for men and women.

Vhils groundbreaking carving technique – which forms the basis of "Scratching the Surface" series was first presented to the public at the VSP group show in Lisbon in 2007 and at the Cans Festival in London in 2008 –has been hailed as one of the most compelling approaches to art created in the street in the last decade.

This striking form of visual poetry has been described as brutal and complex, yet imbued with a simplicity that speaks to the core of human emotions. It expresses the struggle between the aspirations of the individual and the demanding, saturated environment of the urban spaces people live in.  The artist reminds us of  the current unsustainable models of development and the materialistic desires of society.