Vhils decorates seat from the Parc des Princes to benefit the Paris Saint-Germain endowment fund
As part of the partnership between the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund and the Underdogs cultural platform, street artist Alexandre Farto, known as VHILS, has created an exclusive new piece of artwork that will be put on sale on Monday, December the 20th. Proceeds will go to the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund, which finances charity projects for sick, disabled and disadvantaged young people and their communities.
Called Temporize, these silkscreen prints capture a moment frozen in time and reveal the passion-filled face of the Parisian supporters across thirty former Parc des Princes seats, which were removed when the stadium was renovated between 2013 and 2015. A selection of other redundant seats were sold in the Colette concept store back in 2016.
Fabien Allègre, Brand Manager at Paris Saint-Germain, announced: “As always since our partnership with Underdogs, this new drop is a popular success. The artists are inspired. The artwork is well received. A number of art-lovers eagerly await these drops. We are delighted to see such prominent artists draw inspiration from Parisian culture and objects that have featured in the club’s history.”
This project is based on a common model in the art world: the drop. It involves revealing, on a given day, an original, limited-edition, numbered piece of artwork whose subject is Paris. It stands out thanks to Underdogs’ support of the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund and its flexibility. Since the collection was started a year ago, three exclusive pieces created by the artists Vhils, Nasty and JonOne have been unveiled.
About Vhils
Alexandre Farto aka Vhils (b. 1987) 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. He began interacting with the urban environment through the practice of graf fiti in the early 2000s. Peeling back the layers of our material culture like a modern-day urban archaeologist, Vhils reflects on the impact of urbanity, development and global homogenisation on landscapes and people's identities. Destroying to create, he delivers powerful and poetic visual statements from materials the city rejects, humanising depressed areas with his poignant large-scale portraits. Since 2005 he has been presenting his work around the world in exhibitions, events and other contexts – from working with communities in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to collaborations with well-reputed institutions such as the Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati), Le Centquatre-Paris, (Paris), CAFA Art Museum (Beijing), Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation (Hong Kong), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), EDP Foundation (Lisbon), and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (San Diego), among others. An avid experimentalist, besides his groundbreaking bas-relief carving technique, Vhils has been developing his personal aesthetics in a plurality of media: from stencil painting to metal etching, from pyrotechnic explosions and video to sculptural installations. He has also directed several music videos, short films, and two stage productions. Vhils works with several leading galleries, including Vera Cortês Gallery (Portugal), Danysz gallery (France and China), and Over the Influence gallery (Hong Kong and USA). His work is represented in several public and private collections in various countries.
About the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund
Set up in 2013, the Paris Saint-Germain Endowment Fund gives extra impetus to the programmes rolled out to benefit disadvantaged children. Through sport and its values, we seek to act in a positive, dynamic and concrete way to help young people in need: comforting sick children so they can put their illness to the back of their mind for a while, encouraging children to help one another and work together, offering a social and professional integration programme for young adults, and providing comfort for people dealing with emergency situations. The funds raised are used to set up actions that benefit children and young adults. It is thanks to this support that we are able to increase the number of programmes rolled out and the number of children helped.
About Underdogs
Underdogs is a cultural platform based in Lisbon, Portugal, that works with a diversified roster of Portuguese and international artists connected with the urban-inspired contemporary art universe, fostering the development of close relationships between creators, the public, and the city. Established in 2010 and consolidated in its present form in 2013, Underdogs encompasses a gallery with an innovative schedule of exhibitions; the production of original, affordable, and high-quality artist editions; a public art programme helping to promote art as an everyday experience, complete with a series of guided tours and educational activities; and the development of commissioned art projects.