Developed within the context of The Studio project at Underdogs Gallery, Burning in water, drowning in flame was hand-finished by Tamara Alves during her residency.

During her time in the gallery, the artist explored a more fluid and experimental approach to drawing, working with water-soluble graphite and watercolour to develop compositions shaped by unpredictability and emotional intensity. This same process extended into the edition through a direct hand-drawn intervention repeated individually across all prints, establishing a continuous visual concept throughout.

Created alongside a new body of works on paper developed inside the gallery space, the edition reflects the instinctive and process-oriented approach that defines the artist’s practice, where drawing became a space for testing, transformation, and expanded visual possibility.

Born from this unprecedented collaboration, the project stands as a heartfelt tribute to the women of rural Portugal and the stories that shaped the country. The editions originate from a monumental concrete portrait evoking the internal migrations of the twentieth century, an image of resilience, labour, and transformation. 

Developed on industrial canvas, each piece begins with Vhils’ screen-printed foundation and is completed with Joana Vasconcelos’ meticulous handcrafted interventions. The Normal Editions feature feather compositions, while the Artist’s Proofs combine feathers with embroidered elements. Though rooted in the same 100 × 140 cm image, every work is entirely unique, a meeting of subtraction and addition that yields endless possibilities.

New York–born artist John Andrew Perello, better known asJonOne, emerged from the 1980s graffiti scene alongside artists like Basquiat and Warhol before settling in Paris, where his vibrant, gestural language evolved beyond the streets. In Environment, his dynamic strokes and layered color fields turn attention toward the natural world. Each hand-finished screenprint ripples with oceanic blues and hazy greys — an abstract meditation on the sea, the sky, and the pollution that threatens them. The edition bridges JonOne’s urban energy with an urgent call for ecological awareness.

Fauna Material marks the first collaborative print by artists Add Fuel (Cascais, Portugal) and PichiAvo (Valencia, Spain). This piece unites their creative languages, blending the timeless presence of classical art—embodied in the mythological figure of the faun—with the refined beauty of traditional Portuguese tilework, which forms the backdrop of the composition.

Underdogs celebrates the 25th of April with the launch of a special series of editions by seven Portuguese artists who, although they did not experience the revolution firsthand, grew up with its legacy deeply embedded in the fabric of society. This year marks 51 years since the Carnation Revolution — a historical moment that ended decades of dictatorship and restored democracy in Portugal. The works emerged from an invitation by Underdogs to engage in a dialogue with iconic photographs by Alfredo Cunha — one of Portugal’s most important photojournalists. With a sharp and sensitive eye, Cunha captured defining moments of April 25, 1974, immortalising expressions of freedom, confrontation, silence, and hope.

Each artist was invited to choose, reflect on, and respond to one of these images, inviting viewers to step into a portal through time and offering a new, personal reading of the past. Originally presented in the exhibition Portais do Tempo, held at the former Lisnave shipyards in Almada in 2023, these powerful works are now being relaunched as limited editions — produced in the same format and with identical margins. Each edition will be sold at the same price, making them accessible to a wider audience and reaffirming the importance of keeping alive the reflection on what freedom means, and what it continues to mean, today.

In one of Alfredo Cunha’s most iconic photographs, a child stands between intertwined hands — a symbol of communion, vulnerability, and the first moments of freedom. Using an ancestral method of weaving — not with threads, but with photography — Belli creates a piece that speaks of connection, memory, and care. Her work asks: what world are yesterday’s children offering to those of today? Do we still know how to cherish the freedom that was once so newly won? Through this poetic and tactile gesture, Belli invites us to reflect on the meaning of freedom — then, and now.

“Ethereal” embodies the raw energy of artistic intervention, combining multiple techniques to create a richly textured, one-of-a-kind piece. The interplay of screen printing and giclée techniques provides a dynamic contrast between precision and spontaneity, while the addition of quick-ink and bleach introduces unpredictable organic patterns. Each piece is further hand-finished by Vhils and JR, ensuring a unique final touch that reflects the transformative nature of their collaboration. The larger format enhances the immersive experience, making this edition a profound statement on time, memory, and resilience.

“Ethereal” embodies the raw energy of artistic intervention, combining multiple techniques to create a richly textured, one-of-a-kind piece. The interplay of screen printing and giclée techniques provides a dynamic contrast between precision and spontaneity, while the addition of quick-ink and bleach introduces unpredictable organic patterns. Each piece is further hand-finished by Vhils and JR, ensuring a unique final touch that reflects the transformative nature of their collaboration. The larger format enhances the immersive experience, making this edition a profound statement on time, memory, and resilience.

“Leap” captures the essence of movement, ambition, and hope. This high-quality giclée print combines JR’s signature photographic language with Vhils’ unique approach to materiality and texture. The image—a child reaching beyond his immediate reality—is elevated by Vhils’ sculptural sensibility, especially evident in the AP & RN versions, where paste-up elements create a layered, tactile depth. Printed on richly textured paper, this edition reflects the artists’ shared vision of resilience and transcendence, offering a striking testament to the power of collaboration and the enduring strength of human dreams.

“Leap” captures the essence of movement, ambition, and hope. This high-quality giclée print combines JR’s signature photographic language with Vhils’ unique approach to materiality and texture. The image—a child reaching beyond his immediate reality—is elevated by Vhils’ sculptural sensibility, especially evident in the AP & RN versions, where paste-up elements create a layered, tactile depth. Printed on richly textured paper, this edition reflects the artists’ shared vision of resilience and transcendence, offering a striking testament to the power of collaboration and the enduring strength of human dreams.