SAME WALL. DIFFERENT WORLDS.
Exploring the techniques behind the artists of Elm82gallery
What do a chisel, a camera, a spray can, and a computer have in common?
Depending on the artist, they can all be the beginning of something pretty incredible.
Contemporary urban art has developed far beyond what many people traditionally associate with graffiti and street art.
Today, artists are combining techniques that might not seem to belong together.
Photography and architecture.
Technology and painting.
Ancient decorative patterns and contemporary street art.
And sometimes, instead of adding paint to a wall, an artist removes part of the wall itself.
That's where things get interesting.
At Elm82gallery, the connection between artists isn't necessarily how their work looks.
It's what they do with their techniques.
VHILS — CREATING BY DESTROYING
Most artists create an image by adding something to a surface.
Vhils often does the opposite.
The Portuguese artist, Alexandre Farto, has developed a distinctive approach to portraiture using a process of removing material.
Through carving, drilling, chiseling, and other techniques, he reveals portraits within the layers of walls and surfaces.
It's an interesting concept.
Rather than treating a wall as a blank canvas, the wall becomes part of the artwork itself.
Its age, texture, and history contribute to the finished image.
The result can feel almost archaeological, as though the portrait was always there waiting to be uncovered.
And that's what makes his technique so fascinating.
The destruction becomes the creation.
FELIPE PANTONE — WHEN TECHNOLOGY MEETS COLOR
Now take that approach and move in almost the complete opposite direction.
Felipe Pantone creates work that feels like it's moving, even when it's completely still.
His visual language draws from digital technology, optical effects, geometric forms, gradients, and the relationship between color and perception.
The precision is remarkable.
Sharp lines meet shifting colors. Patterns create the illusion of movement. Digital aesthetics become physical artworks.
Some pieces almost feel like they belong on a screen.
Except they don't.
They're paintings, prints, sculptures, and installations that bring those visual effects into the physical world.
Pantone's work raises an interesting question.
In a world increasingly shaped by digital images, what happens when those images become something you can physically experience?
It's one reason his work feels so connected to the present.
JR — THE CAMERA AS A TOOL FOR PUBLIC ART
A photograph is usually something we look at in a book, on a screen, or hanging on a wall.
JR takes photography somewhere else entirely.
The French artist is known for transforming large-scale photographic portraits into public installations.
Buildings, rooftops, streets, and architectural landmarks become part of the presentation.
But the technique is only part of the story.
JR's work frequently involves the people and communities being photographed, bringing attention to identity, visibility, and the relationship between individuals and public spaces.
A photograph that might be relatively small in another setting can become enormous.
Suddenly, the scale changes how we experience the image.
And the location becomes part of its meaning.
It's photography, but not necessarily as we're used to seeing it.
HOPARE — MOVEMENT THROUGH PORTRAITURE
Hopare approaches portraiture from another direction.
His work combines expressive linework, overlapping forms, vibrant colors, and influences from graffiti.
Faces appear through layers of movement.
Lines intersect.
Colors shift.
And the finished image can feel both carefully constructed and spontaneous.
There's a balance between control and energy.
What makes the technique interesting is how recognizable the portraits remain despite the complexity surrounding them.
The lines don't simply outline the face.
They become part of its identity.
It's an approach that brings the energy of the street into contemporary portraiture.
INSANE51 — TWO IMAGES, ONE SURFACE
This is where things get particularly fun.
Imagine looking at a piece of artwork and seeing one image.
Now imagine looking at that same piece through a different colored filter and discovering another.
That's part of the technique developed by Greek artist Insane51.
Known for his Double Exposure 3D approach, he creates overlapping images using contrasting colors, often red and cyan.
Viewed normally, the compositions can appear layered and complex.
But through corresponding colored filters, different elements become more visible.
The artwork changes depending on how it's viewed.
It's a clever combination of traditional artistic skill, color theory, and optical experimentation.
And it's a reminder that sometimes the viewer becomes part of the process.
ADD FUEL — REWORKING TRADITION
Portuguese artist Add Fuel takes inspiration from something deeply connected to his country's visual history.
Azulejos.
The decorative ceramic tiles found throughout Portugal.
These patterns have been part of Portuguese architecture and culture for centuries.
Add Fuel reinterprets that tradition through contemporary compositions influenced by illustration, graphic design, and street art.
At first glance, a piece might resemble traditional decorative tilework.
Look closer.
Patterns appear disrupted, layered, or peeled back to reveal something unexpected underneath.
There's a conversation happening between the old and the new.
Traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary visual culture.
And the result is something that feels connected to history without being trapped by it.
DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES. ONE CONVERSATION.
Put these six artists together and there isn't one obvious visual style.
And that's the point.
Vhils removes material.
Pantone explores color, technology, and perception.
JR transforms photography into public installations.
Hopare builds portraits through movement and line.
Insane51 experiments with how images are revealed.
Add Fuel reinterprets decorative traditions.
Different backgrounds.
Different materials.
Different processes.
But each artist has developed a recognizable visual language.
That's an important part of Elm82gallery's curatorial direction.
The gallery isn't built around the idea that contemporary urban art should look a certain way.
It's about recognizing artists who have developed their own approaches and continue exploring what their work can become.
Because sometimes the most interesting thing about a piece of art isn't simply what you're looking at.
It's discovering how it was made.
And realizing there might be more happening than you first noticed.
Elm82gallery
Travel. Discover. Connect.
October 2026
