Beautiful and suffering faces of the women of the Sea

Alexandro Farto AKA Vhils or the Graffitti da margem sul, as I and many of us know him

Others will certainly question themselves with certainty to know if they know or will come any of his works, nut surely they have already crossed with many of his works on the wall of our city or on the trains, wich we are used to seeing, some with I appreciate others with displeasure, achieving their purpose, human reaction to their message

As I speak, the many that I saw in the train carriage were viewed with disgust, but the pictures that fill and embellish the walls and that have given him due to recognition worldwide, almost always make me stop, think, reflect and admire very positively and with appreciation and pleasure.

After all, what does AKA Vhils have to do with the Women of the Sea?

It may seem strange to you, but for me, it was a revelation.

I stopped in the city of Esposende to admire a mural carved next to Cávado in which the relief takes us back to the old days, when women worked side by side with men, catching sargasso, cooking nets or waiting for a long time. prayer on the lips and eyes on the sea, waiting to see their men emerge safely and with the fish that was and still is the livelihood of some families in this region.

At the end and only at the end, I don't like to read the artists' names at the beginning, so as not to fall pre-trial, I discovered that the work was by AKA Vihls and as described there, for those who know the place and I think that also for the rest, he managed to give the city a face and power to ordinary people, contrasting the new with the old in a complex but realistic way.

I investigated his works a little and in reality, I think he deserves the appreciation and recognition that his works have in the world.