Vhils carved this Scratching the Surface intervention into the Prefectura Nacional Naval, overlooking Punta del Este's historic port, at the invitation of the Distrito de Arte Urbano and the Portuguese Embassy, in collaboration with Camões – Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua. The Prefectura is a maritime civic institution, not a conventional cultural venue, and the carved façade sets the permanence of civic architecture against the transformative potential of contemporary art in public space. The 2016 work belongs to a wider cultural-exchange programme between Portugal and Uruguay, extending the project into the South Atlantic and a site shaped by movement, trade and the sea. Its current physical condition remains undocumented.
Year2016PlacePrefectura Nacional Naval, Punta del Este, UruguayMediumWallsSeriesScratching the Surface