Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Vhils Print Index
Visual Agnosia 02
Summary
Visual Agnosia 02 (2021) is the companion to the series, a two-colour screen print on plexiglass over street-collected advertising posters mounted on wood and sealed in epoxy varnish. Editioned at 33 and signed and numbered, each 100 by 70 cm work is individually distinct because of its salvaged poster substrate. It is a constructed, layered object, not a flat sheet.
Why It Matters
As the second image in the Visual Agnosia group, this work reinforces Vhils's theme of perceptual overload in the modern city. The reclaimed advertising beneath the plexiglass turns discarded commercial imagery into the literal foundation of a portrait-adjacent composition, making the viewer confront how urban surfaces both accumulate and obscure meaning.
Collector Perspective
Like its counterpart, this edition of 33 offers scarcity and genuine per-example uniqueness. The mixed-media build, plexiglass, epoxy and wood, makes framing and handling considerations central to value. Collectors deciding between 01 and 02 should assess the specific found-poster layers, as those are what give each number its individual character.
Historical Context
The Visual Agnosia editions grew out of Vhils's decade-plus preoccupation with the layered debris of advertising and the palimpsest of the street. Issued in 2021, they package that material philosophy, the city as an accumulation of imposed images, into a limited wall-mounted series produced within his studio and gallery ecosystem.
FAQ
How does 02 differ from 01?
They are separate images within the same series; both share the plexiglass-over-reclaimed-poster construction and the edition of 33.
Are the posters real street material?
Yes. The substrate uses advertising posters collected from the streets, giving each numbered work a unique base.
What seals the surface?
An epoxy varnish seals the two-colour screen print and the layered materials mounted on wood.
What is the size?
Each work measures 100 by 70 cm and is signed and numbered by the artist.
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.