Vhils: Strates Urbaines

From June 24th, travellers who access Orly airport in Paris directly with metro line 14, will also have the opportunity to view the new work of the Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto, aka Vhils, entitled: STRATES URBAINES. Composed of 11,000 blue and white azulejos (tiles), it is 34 meters long and features three monumental details (the Eiffel Tower, the Pompidou Center and the Pleyel Tower in Saint-Denis, the new northern terminus of the line) and three smiling anonymous faces. Vhils abandons the usual drills, explosives and chisels to focus on a new technique, these azulejos (tiles) irremediably associated with the Portuguese Baroque. While recalling a time when these wall coverings were a sign of prestige and wealth in Portugal, Vhils creates a break by treating the anonymous people in a masterly and heroic way by stating during the inauguration: “Today marks the culmination of a personal and artistic jurney that began humbly on the outskirts of Lisbon, which brought me here, to the realisation of this public work in the new Orly metro station. It is a tribute to the power of diversity and the opportunities that Europe can offer each of us".

Exhibition: 24.06.24