On the surface, the paintings look like romanticized landscapes. Under UV light, however, the hidden chemical compounds—benzene, toluene, hydrogen sulfide—emerge as violent reds and necrotic yellows. The series went viral after a TikTok video showed a gallery-goer breaking down in tears upon seeing the "true" image of the air they breathe.
Critics have called it "terrorist art" (a label Portus wears as a badge of honor), while environmental groups have used the series to successfully lobby for two emissions disclosure laws in the European Union. Unlike many artists who keep their politics at arm's length, Portus lives their message. In early 2024, they were arrested alongside Indigenous water protectors in Minnesota during a peaceful blockade of a mining access road. The mugshot—featuring Portus wearing a hand-painted suit covered in tiny mirrors—became a meme and a manifesto. rayen portus
Portus’s response was characteristically blunt: they live-streamed themselves taking a sledgehammer to one of their own early sculptures on Instagram, titling the video “Mediocre Painting, Perfect Firewood.” Currently residing in a converted fire station in Detroit, Portus is working on their first feature-length film, tentatively titled “We Who Dig Wells.” Details are scarce, but insiders describe it as a silent film set in a flooded Miami, featuring a score composed entirely of field recordings from endangered coral reefs. On the surface, the paintings look like romanticized
Whether you view them as a prophet of the Anthropocene or a performative provocateur, one thing is undeniable: In a world numb to statistics, Portus reminds us that art is not just a mirror held up to reality—it is sometimes the hammer that breaks the glass. Critics have called it "terrorist art" (a label