Our youngest artist, the already prolific Portuguese-born Alexandre Farto's range spans from collage to portraiture. Of late he's taken to creating works purely from in situ materials, taking Vandalism as art to its logico ad absurdum conclusion. Advertising hoardings are torn to make fresh images, and plaster drilled away at until the remaining relief forms the work. He is, at the time of writing, experimenting with a cocktail of Quink ink and household bleach. But this is a long way from brutalism. Vhils art is poetic, complex, and ambitious, often focusing on the needs we have abandoned in favour of our wants, and the realisation that trading pleasure back in for happiness will be a less than straightforward exchange.
Due to a full exhibition schedule in 2013 and the need for a gallery refurbish we will no longer be reopening Vhils' show Devoid for the first week of January. As a result there are only two days left to catch this excellent exhibition before we return with Dan Witz on January 25th. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause – Merry Christmas from the team here at Lazarides Rathbone.
After an explosive opening party Thursday night – thanks to a live DJ set from our new friends Delphic – Vhils' new solo exhibition Devoid has now opened its doors to the public. Showcasing his new styrofoam works as well as pieces in metal, wood and resin, Vhils has proven he is a true master of any material thrown at him. Coinciding with his continual street campaign for this show, new cement works have popped up at the Truman Brewery and George's Diner, outside the Olympic Village.
Whilst industriously installing his latest solo exhibition in over three years at Lazarides Rathbone, Vhils has still managed to get around town and work on his latest street campaign. His first piece on Hewett Street, Shoreditch was completed on Sunday, with a massive thanks to the guys from End of the Line. A further two walls are in the pipeline before the week is out so keep your eyes peeled!
Vhils' Devoid is open to the public on 30th November at Lazarides Rathbone.
Whilst everyone at Lazarides is eagerly anticipating Vhils' new solo exhibition Devoid opening at the end of the month in London, the man himself is keeping himself busy in Brazil working on a new, more personal street project. The new pieces created through some of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro attempt to bring attention to the inhabitants of these slum areas and draw attention to the ever expanding South American city.
Conor Harrington and Vhils were amongst various street artists to join the Komafest festival in northern Norway last month. The street art festival, running from the 20th until 21st of July, aimed to breathe life back into old and abandoned buildings in the coastal town of Vardo, proving that exciting projects can succeed outside of large cities and encouraging creative development within the young community. Hopefully this will be the first of many more unique artist led festivals to come.
