Vhils Portuguese, b. 1987
67 3/8 x 45 1/4 in
In this composition, the
familiar grid of metro tiles becomes the unexpected support for a haunting
portrait. The face, rendered through a process of engraving and removal of
matter, emerges from the ceramic surface, its features suggested by the delicate
erosion of the tile's enamel and the subtle variations in its texture. The
effect is that of a face slowly revealing itself, or perhaps dissolving,
against a ground that evokes the underground spaces of the metro. The duality
between the raw, almost violent act of engraving and the delicate, evocative
portrait that results endows the work with a powerful emotional resonance.
