Hiones (XX-XXI) - Not Found

Collector's Item.
100% hand-painted on cotton canvas.
Work shipped unframed, in a DHL Express shipment tube.
Accompanied by a COA, certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.

Not Found unfolds as a collision field between identity, visual culture, and digital language. At the center of the composition, a hyper-realistic eye fixes the observer, establishing a direct and almost unsettling point of contact.
However, this human presence is immediately fragmented by an overlap of elements belonging to distinct universes: pop culture icons, urban graphics, pixelated references and visual codes typical of the digital environment.

The inclusion of a partially filled name tag — “hello my name is” — introduces an explicit layer of identification, but also of fault. The name, erased and illegible, becomes a gesture of negation, suggesting a subject who escapes definition or who has been erased in the process. The title, Not Found, reinforces this idea of a systemic error: an identity that should be accessible, but cannot be recovered.

The composition operates through layers and interruptions. The gaze, traditionally representing consciousness and presence, here is mediated by external signs — recognizable characters, graphic forms and visual fragments that function as filters or masks. These elements not only conceal but also construct the presented identity, raising the question: to what extent is the contemporary “I” a sum of external references?

The presence of pixelated elements creates a direct bridge to the digital universe, evoking low resolution, compression and error. In contrast, the eye's realism maintains a physical, almost biological anchor, generating a tension between the organic and the artificial. This confrontation is amplified by the language of graffiti and sticker culture, which introduces urgency, appropriation and intervention.

Not Found thus positions itself as a commentary on the fragmentation of identity in the era of visual overload. Between the visible and the hidden, between the real and the built, the work suggests that what we seek to define as “self” may no longer exist as a unity—but rather as an unstable system of layered, continually updating, error-prone reconfiguration.

About Hione

Hione is a visual artist from Porto who, since 2013, has used graffiti as his main form of expression. With a visual language marked by vibrant colors and defined shapes, his work reflects a strong connection to urban culture. Over the course of his career, he has developed a unique style that fuses graffiti, contemporary art, illustration and graphic design. He presents his works in public and private contexts, aiming to provoke reflection and inspire. Today he continues to explore new figurative approaches and deepen the impact of his art on the space around him.