#093 - Alexandre Farto aka Vhils - silkscreen

#093 - Alexandre Farto aka Vhils - silkscreen

€650.00

Destination: Petra, Jordan
Date: 10 - 14 October, 2022

About Vhils
The Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, also known as Vhils has developed a unique visual language based on the removal of the surface layers of walls and other media with non-conventional tools and techniques. With his work he is establishing symbolic reflections on identity, the relationship of interdependence between people and the surrounding environment, and life in contemporary urban societies, as well as the impact of development, the passage of time, and material transformation.

You can find more work of Vhils on his website: www.vhils.com

Destination: Petra, Jordan
The ancient city of Petra, lies in the south of Jordan, and has a rich history. Voted in 2007, as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’ it is a sight to behold. The carved out and intricate architecture is unmatched. And with its rich history it has meant so much to so many people. But perhaps no more than the Bedouin people, the nomadic tribes who have called Petra and its surrounding their home for centuries.

Details about the print
Title: Destination
Dimensions: ± 50 x 70 cm
Medium: Silkscreen print on Keaykolour Original China White 300 g/m2 paper and hand finished with bleach and acid
Edition: edition of 300 + 30AP, signed and numbered by the artist

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A little word from Vhils

Seven years in the making, this collaboration with The Jaunt has always had Petra as its focal point. Not only is it a place I have been interested in visiting for the longest time, but as a symbol of civilization, human achievement and culture, it is highly relevant to the context within which I usually develop my artistic practice.

The work that has emerged from this collaboration has less to do with Petra’s breath-taking monuments and striking desert landscapes, and everything to do with its people. Not the myriad tourists, or those who have come from far and wide to work within the framework erected to support them, but the people who have belonged to the land for countless generations: the Bedouins.

During my time in Petra, I had the honour of meeting, experiencing and ultimately understanding the Bedouin way of life. Descendants of the ancient and nomadic Nabataeans, these generous and heart-warming people are intricately connected to their surroundings: the inhospitable desert sand, the scorching heat, the stifling air, the bouldering mountains and their harbouring caves, are part of who they are, both as a community and as individuals. Through lifetimes of experience, knowledge and wisdom, they have perfectly adapted to an environment which is as beautiful as it is punishing, achieving a harmonious way of existing with nature, appreciating that the only true way to achieve this is to recognize that we are also part of it.

Experiencing Petra was having the unique and rare opportunity to live, sleep, eat, drink, talk and learn from the Bedouins. To be welcomed into their homes, be confronted with their traditions and beliefs and witness their symbiotic lifestyle: a way of existing that is so essential, but which has been forgotten by most contemporary societies.

The two limited art editions I worked on capture this essence. They interlace representations of people, places, buildings, practices, traditions and textures that attempt to encapsulate the complexity that is Petra today: a place rich in culture and with a history tracing back several centuries, but that is at grips with the unstoppable current of globalization. A place where the past and present coexist in a palpable balanced tension and where people from all over the world come to marvel at its beauty. But above all else, these works are my way of paying homage to the Bedouin way of life, and represent a true reflection of an experience that has left a profound mark, which will live within me forever.