The Portuguese artist Vhils, whose real name is Alexandre Farto, has earned a unique place in the world of street art through an original technique like no other: carving and controlled destruction of urban walls to reveal powerful human portraits within them.
“I carve faces into walls because, for me, the city is an archaeological site. By excavating the urban layers, I uncover hidden histories. My work is about the people who build and live in cities but often remain unseen in the urban narrative.”
In Paris, as in many cities around the world, his works have become landmarks in the urban landscape, attracting thousands of visitors, tourists, and street art lovers looking for a different kind of experience.
Biography
Alexandre Farto (Vhils) was born in Lisbon in 1987. From a young age, he began experimenting with graffiti and street art, leaving his first marks on the city’s walls with basic spray techniques. But he soon realized he was searching for a deeper artistic language. The desire to break boundaries and “carve meaning” directly from the city itself led him to develop an entirely new visual language – using the walls as a canvas not through paint, but by drilling, chiseling, controlled explosions, and heavy tools like drills and pneumatic hammers.
This journey turned him into one of the most recognized artists in contemporary street art. His works can be found across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, and he is now seen as an international figure whose influence goes far beyond the usual graffiti or urban art forms.
Artistic Style
Vhils’s uniqueness lies in his “archaeological” view of the city. Rather than adding layers of paint to a surface, he exposes what already exists. In his works, human faces emerge from layers of plaster, bricks, and concrete – a reminder of the lives hidden within the urban space and the collective memory of the place.
The result is realistic yet poetic portraits filled with emotional depth. They blend so naturally into the urban environment that it often seems they have always been there.
“Paris is special for me because the walls here carry stories that are hundreds of years old. Every intervention is, in my eyes, a dialogue between the past and the present.”
This approach gives him a distinct presence in the street art scene, where most artists rely on spray paint, stencils, or posters.
International Works
Beyond Paris, Vhils has created remarkable works in Brazil, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and many other cities. In each location, he draws inspiration from the local texture – in both material and cultural terms.
In Brazil, he carved portraits from the rough walls of favelas; in Hong Kong, he worked with layers of torn city posters; in London, he engaged with the city’s industrial past. Each piece is adapted to its local context and merges seamlessly with its specific surroundings.
Cultural and Social Meaning
Vhils’s works are not only impressive portraits but also cultural and social manifestos. The faces he creates represent anonymous people – residents, migrants, workers, and communities that often disappear from public awareness. His art gives voice and visibility to those who have none.
Through carving into walls, he reveals historical and social layers and raises questions about identity, belonging, and collective memory.
“Street art is not just about decoration. It is about asking questions and encouraging reflection on who we are and where we are heading.”
Key Works in Paris
Some of Vhils’s most important works can be found in Paris:
• La Défense – a large piece on the façade of Les Quatre Temps shopping center in the city’s business district. The combination of a human portrait and modern architecture creates a striking contrast.
• Hôpital Cochin (27 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Jacques, 75014 Paris) – a carved work on the hospital wall, blending daily life and medicine with street art.
• Boulevard Paris 13 – as part of the Itinerrance project, Vhils created an enormous portrait that became a major attraction for tourists and photographers.
These works reflect the range of his style – on one hand, a powerful language of carving; on the other, a sensitivity to the human figure and the story behind it.
The Viewing Experience
What makes his art so distinctive is the feeling that you are not just looking at a work of art but taking part in a process of discovery. The walls themselves tell stories, and the portraits that Vhils creates connect past and present, place and people.
Vhils proves that street art does not need to be colorful, flashy, or provocative to move the viewer. Through carving, engraving, and revealing what lies beneath the surface, he brings to light the stories of ordinary, often invisible people and preserves them as part of the city’s living fabric.
A visit to Paris offers the opportunity to see his unique creations up close – works that combine art, history, and modern urban life – and to reflect on what street art is and what it can become.
Official website: https://vhils.com/en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vhils/
Among the artists whose works appear in the series of posts on street art and graffiti in Paris: SETH (Julien Malland), C215 (Christian Guémy), Vhils (Alexandre Farto), KASHINK (Maëva Martinez), Vale_Stencil (Valérian Lenud), The Pop Suréalist, The End of Animals (THE END), L’Empreinte Jo V (La Dactylo), IPDO (I Pixel di Oplontis), Mathieu 1976 (Mathieu Dussaucy), DJERADI LUDOVIC (Ludovic Djeradi), JR, Invader, Miss.Tic, Jef Aérosol, Blek Le Rat, Speedy Graphito, Hopare, Astro, Ardif, Ludo, Levalet (Charles Leval), Jo Di Bona, Monsieur Chat (Thoma Vuille), Zevs, Combo CK (Combo Culture Kidnapper), Alëxone Dizac, Tilt, Lek & Sowat, L’Atlas, Romain Froquet, Philippe Baudelocque, Jérôme Mesnager, Vinie Graffiti, Kalouf, Maye, A-MO, Clet Abraham, OakOak, Ender, Mosko et Associés, Codex Urbanus, Ella & Pitr, Dourone, Shaka (Marchal Mithouard), Raphael Federici, Pboy, Sismikazot, Kurar, Gregos, Tarek, Jace, Nasty, Doudou Style, FKDL, RNST, Zepha, Jerk 45, Onemizer, Bault, Polar Bear, Céz Art, Guy Denning, SP38, Zeer, Dume, Tanc, Kaldea, Antistatik, Reso, Woizo, MadC, Jober, Abys, Guaté Mao, Psyckoze, MonkeyBird Crew, Mantra, Aude Villerouge, Loraine Motti, Jean Faucheur, Jibé, Bom.K, Gris1, Aéro, JBC, Le MoDuLe De ZeeR, D*Face, Shepard Fairey, Banksy, 2Shy, Aroe, Babs, Bates, Brusk, Can2, Case Maclaim, Chanoir, Create, Darco, Dize, Gyz, Insane 51, Jaba, Jonone, Katre, Marko 93, Noé2One Mizer, Pro176, Remio, Schuck2, Snake, T-Kid, Tony Noel, Vision, Zenoy
Street Art in Le Marais Paris
Street Art Along Canal de l’Ourcq
LUDOVIC – Urban Chaos
Mathieu 1976 – Angels in Paris
IPDO – The Smurfs on the Wall
The Women of L’Empreinte Jo V
The Pop Suréalist
KASHINK – Paris’ Female Voice
Spot 13 – Paris
La Promenade Plantée – Paris
Street Art Avenue Paris
Street Art in Montmartre
The Giant Mural Project in Paris
THE END OF ANIMALS
The Belleville Character
VHILS – Carved in Stone
59 Rivoli – Alternative Art in Paris
The Children of SETH
Vale_Stencil – Colorful Stencil Art
