Three complementary pillars — a gallery, a public art programme, and the production of affordable artist editions — plus commissioned art projects. Co-founded by Alexandre Farto (Vhils) with curator Pauline Foessel, Underdogs is the core operating unit and Vhils' primary-market gallery within Cultural Affairs.
The roster
Artists Underdogs has shown, painted with and published — drawn from the leading names of contemporary underground art, exhibited in Marvila, painted across cities and released as editions. Together they helped make Lisbon a world capital of urban-rooted contemporary art.
Vhils
Co-founder — the carved-portrait pioneer whose primary market runs through the gallery.
Shepard Fairey
Two Lisbon solos (2017, 2023), the Graça collaboration wall with Vhils, and a deep editions catalogue.
JR
Through My Window (2025) in the gallery, Inside Out across the city, JR × Vhils in the editions house.
FAILE
Something to Believe In (2026) — the Brooklyn duo's first-ever Portugal solo, plus sculpture editions.
Felipe Pantone
Perceptual Phenomena (2024) in the gallery and a full chromatic-gradient façade for Lisbon the same year.
FUTURA
Half of Acts of Transformation (2024) — an American graffiti legend in museum-grade dialogue with REVOK.
PichiAvo
Poseidon over the Tagus for the Public Art Programme — and the Used to Be solo (2022).
Okuda San Miguel
Interdimensional Landscape solo (2025) and editions in the house catalogue.
Add Fuel
Portugal's azulejo tradition remixed — from the Pink Street intervention to Chronos Redux (2021) and steady edition drops.
AkaCorleone
A walkable painted court for Lisbon and one of the editions store's top vendors.
Roster
The gallery — shows that prove the thesis
Zoom ⤢FAILE — Something to Believe In
Underdogs Gallery, Marvila · 2026
Zoom ⤢Exported Reality
Korea Foundation Gallery, Seoul · 2026
Zoom ⤢JR — Through My Window
Underdogs Gallery, Marvila · 2025
Zoom ⤢Shepard Fairey — Printed Matters
Underdogs Gallery, Marvila · 2023
Zoom ⤢A Controversial Affair
Underdogs Gallery, Marvila · 2023
Zoom ⤢FUTURA × REVOK — Acts of Transformation
Underdogs Gallery, Marvila · 2024From white cube experiment to permanent platform
Underdogs began in 2010 as an idea to bring artists with graffiti and urban-art backgrounds into the white cube — a first for Portugal. The inaugural group show, ten Portuguese contemporary artists, opened at the Vera Cortês Art Agency in Lisbon; a second iteration followed in Porto in 2011.
Vhils met curator Pauline Foessel in Shanghai, and together they shaped the project into a permanent platform. In 2013 Underdogs opened its own space in Marvila — Rua Fernando Palha, Armazém 56 — combining the gallery, the public art programme and the online sale of exclusive artist editions.
A decade on, Underdogs marked its ten years with A Controversial Affair (2023) and keeps building both ways: importing global names — Fairey, JR, FAILE, Pantone, FUTURA, Okuda — and exporting Portuguese careers, from Wasted Rita and Tamara Alves to the Korea Foundation group show in Seoul.
A decade of murals and sculptural interventions across Portugal, Austria, France and Brazil since 2013 — the street arm of Underdogs that turned Marvila into an open-air museum.
Public Art Programme — highlights
Zoom ⤢Shepard Fairey × Vhils
Graça, Lisbon · 2017
Zoom ⤢JR — Inside Out Project
Lisbon · 2025
Zoom ⤢Felipe Pantone — Precipitated Double Sunset
Olival / Santos, Lisbon · 2024
Zoom ⤢AkaCorleone — painted court
Campo Mártires da Pátria, Lisbon
Zoom ⤢Add Fuel — azulejo intervention
Rua Nova do Carvalho, Cais do Sodré
Zoom ⤢Commotion
Council of the European Union, Brussels · 2021Editions — art as an everyday purchase
Zoom ⤢JR × Vhils
Les Enfants d'Ouranos · print edition
Zoom ⤢Shepard Fairey
AR-15 Lily · print edition
Zoom ⤢Felipe Pantone
Chromadynamica · print edition
Zoom ⤢Hugo Oliveira × Vhils — HOME
Engraved vinyl edition · 20263,300+ editions and original works in the online store, released in near-weekly drops through under-dogs.net — priced to be lived with, not only visited.
On film
▶filmShepard Fairey — Printed Matters
Underdogs Gallery · 2023
▶filmJR — Through My Window
Underdogs Gallery · 2025
▶filmFUTURA & REVOK — Acts of Transformation
Underdogs Gallery · 2024
▶filmFelipe Pantone — Precipitated Double Sunset
Public Art Programme · 2024Go deeper
Editions are signed and numbered; the gallery team handles primary-market enquiries.