We are fascinated by volcanoes because they are powerful, dangerous, and unpredictable. Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 19th century best-selling novel paints a picture of what it might have been like in Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius. Meanwhile, Jules Verne's science-fiction masterpiece, Journey to the Center of the Earth, tells the story of two explorers who venture into the soil through the active Snaefellsnes in Iceland. "Imagination is a perfect volcano", wrote the French novelist.
Volcanoes are part of another contemporary poetic. Coming from the middle of the earth, Lava rocks were integrated into Alexandre Farto’s work, whose expeditions to the Azores Archipelago have brought him to his new forceful series, Magma. After he found a huge rock of lava stone, Vhils worked with laser technology to activate the memory that already existed in the stone. By melting it, he could crop out his very remarkable faces of individuals. Again, Vhils works as a visual archeologist - only this time in nature.
Located in the mid-Atlantic, the Azores Archipelago is an autonomous region of Portugal, the artist’s home country, and comprises nine volcanic islands. Their origin is directly related to the tectonic movements of three plates: the African, the American, and the Euroasia. Although the imminence of sleeping volcanoes to become active again - or exactly because of that! - makes the Azores unique. Bubbling cauldrons, boiling mud pools, and volcanic basaltic rocks mark the islands. Since the settlement of the archipelago in the 15th century, 31 destructive earthquakes and 28 volcanic eruptions have been registered there.
At the heart of Vhils’ work is the concept of deconstruction and construction. He repeatedly removes elements of the landscape to reveal images, bringing to light new perspectives of individuals and their relationship to their surroundings. Volcanoes are Earth's geologic architects, which destroy but also create: they have generated more than 80 percent of our planet's surface.
The Magma series comprises 30 different editions coming from the center of the earth. Burning and potent eyes add one more layer to the story that dates back millions of years, way before men and their creations on Earth.
