Off The Shelf

Vhils

Publishers: Gestalten

The Collective managed to gain access to an old building as a wicked back drop for this shoot. The ideal setting for this book titled Vhils, an artist who uses old plaster and brickwork to chip portraits into the surface using a hammer and chisel, ripping and scratching, or by blasting and drilling in his very distinctive style.

Portuguese artist Vhils has a very unique way of working, he starts with a wall, gives it few sprays with a can, for an outline then breaks out the jack hammer - yep you heard it right! Using a dilapidated surface as a blank canvas isn't that unusual but to get out the hammer and to smash the uneven surface, definately takes some confidence and dare we say, practice. He specialises in portraits which in itself is never easy and with the vast scale on which he works, it takes some skill to decipher shape and form in a cloud of brick and plaster dust.

So what's happening under the Contents heading:

The Hidden Beauty of Urban Neglect
Nothing Lasts Forever
Beauty Dies and Fades Away
Detritos
System Meltdown
Scratching the Surface

... and far more goodies lie within.


Now for the picture bit...

Thanks to Gill for her hospitality while on this shoot

To find out more on Vhils chip away method, mouse on the motef