Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Vhils Print Index
Blur
Summary
Blur is a 2024 hand-finished screen print by Alexandre Farto aka Vhils at 102 by 72 centimetres. Signed and numbered in an edition of 50, it overlays two images, a face and a busy street scene, using an abrasive, acid-treated silkscreen approach.
Why It Matters
Blur brings Vhils's destructive wall methodology into the silkscreen medium, treating the print surface with abrasion rather than only ink. The double exposure of face over traffic captures the tension between the individual and the anonymous churn of the city.
Collector Perspective
The large 102 by 72 scale, hand-finishing and edition of 50 make Blur a substantial statement print with real material presence. The acid and abrasive treatment introduces variation across the run, so each example carries individual character.
Historical Context
Produced in 2024, Blur extends Vhils's interest in erasure and layering into screen printing, using acidic and abrasive intervention. The overlapping city-and-face composition reflects his enduring theme of the human presence within the urban flow.
FAQ
What makes Blur hand-finished?
Vhils applies an abrasive, acid-treated silkscreen process, introducing variation to each example.
What does the image show?
Two overlapping images, an anonymous face over a busy street scene, evoking the individual within the city.
What is the edition size?
Fifty signed and numbered prints.
How large is it?
102 by 72 centimetres, a large-format print.
About the Artist
Vhils is the working name of Alexandre Farto, a Portuguese visual artist born in 1987 near Lisbon. He is internationally recognized for a pioneering "carving" technique in which he excavates portraits from layered walls, billboards, and surfaces using chisels, drills, and controlled explosives, effectively creating images by removing material rather than adding it. His large-scale murals appear in cities across the globe, and his studio editions translate this bas-relief, destructive-creation aesthetic into prints, laser-cut works, and mixed-media pieces. Vhils has exhibited widely and collaborated on major public and institutional projects.
Collecting Vhils at Gauntlet Gallery
What Vhils works can I collect?
Beyond his walls, Vhils produces signed, numbered studio editions including screenprints, hand-carved paper, laser-cut metal, and mixed-media relief works. Editions that preserve his signature carving texture are especially sought after. Gauntlet Gallery favors pieces in excellent condition with intact surfaces and complete documentation.
How is a Vhils piece authenticated?
We sell Vhils works with documented studio provenance, supported by the edition's signature and numbering. Each piece is photographed exactly as it will ship, including signature, edition number, and any embossing or studio marks, so details are verifiable up front.
What drives value?
Medium and technique (unique carved and relief works over flat prints), edition size, scale, condition, and documented provenance all shape price. Hand-worked, textural, and one-of-a-kind pieces carry the highest premiums.