João Vilhena — À propos — Slash Paris

Born in Portugal, João Vilhena lives and works in France as one of the most influential artists of the contemporary scene in the Paca Region. Graduated from Villa Arson, Vilhena practices drawing and painting from a neoconceptual position. In 2003 he received the Prémio Rothschild Painting Award. He showed in Drawing Now 2011 and 2012, Artissima Art Fair, Villa Arson, and Istres Contemporary Art Center. In 2010 he was featured in the contemporary drawing specialized magazine “Roven” (no°4, autumn/winter 2010−2011). In 2011 Galerie Alberta Pane presented his solo show “Deux lunes à l’autre”, focusing on his latest obession: the moon.

João Vilhena’s work is, and has always been, led by the interest he takes in the role of the beholder. For the artist a work is made by the look upon it, which activates it and creates its meaning. A virtuoso of the pencil and the word, João Vilhena feints, hides, substitutes end disguises without ever unveiling what lies beyond. To this purpose he uses different “stuff” like optical illusions, trompe l’oeils or anamorphoses, and in the works’ titles spoonerisms, anagrams and other word games.

The trompe−l’oeil drawings of João Vilhena have almost no relief. The artist applies himself to the detailed reproduction of all sorts of paper (medical prescriptions, restaurant bills, post−its): through these curious drawings, Vilhena tries to challenge the observer, using trompe−l’oeil and the titles used related to his works. The artist also revisited some images of nineteenth century stereoscopic views.

“I turned to drawing in opposition to painting, at a moment when I felt the need to get some distance regarding pictorial practice. Beginning with the observation that drawing has long been a double for other artistic forms, I was amused by the coincidence between this secondary status of drawing and the fact that representation functions as a double for the real.”