Sculpture and wall mounted work using found objects
Alexandre da Cunha (born 1969) is a Brazilian-British artist,[1] who produces sculpture and wall mounted works, often using found objects. His works have been exhibited around the world, and are located in several major public collections.
In the early 1990s, da Cunha began working with Galeria Luisa Strina, the oldest contemporary art gallery in Brazil – with his first solo exhibition taking place in 1998.[4]
Work
In his work, da Cunha mixes the use of found, mass produced and 'ready made' objects with 'traditional' sculpture – by repurposing and reusing them.[5][6] In 2006, he stated that the items that he uses often have no monetary value, describing them as "things I found on the streets ... ready for the garbage can".[7] For example, the 2004 work Skateboarderistismatronics (fan) is made of recycled skateboards – da Cunha stated that the old skateboards are worthless, but nevertheless they have "huge personal value" to the skaters themselves.[8] Despite the variety in the size of his works – from a small sculpture[6] to a concrete mixer[9] – the aesthetic of the artwork is balanced against the social and cultural history of the materials that the work is made from.[10] In 2015, he exhibited a circular composition originally made out of a used cleaning mop.[11]
His works are inspired by the Neo-Concrete Brazilian art movement of the late 1950s, Op art, well as modernist architecture found in major Brazilian cities.[6][12] da Cunha also frequently uses the tropes of national identity, such as flags and iconography, in his work.[13]Frieze states da Cunha's "historical lineage" includes classical sculpture, baroque patterns, Primitivism, Arte Povera, and Brazilian Modernism.[14]
^Pariante, Fabio (2021-12-14). "5 questions for artist Alexandre da Cunha". MuseumWeek magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-01. I am an artist who works mostly with sculpture, using found and industrialized objects and materials
^Moura, Rodrigo (2006). Economies of Desire. Paço das Artes. p. 10. things I found on the streets, in the front of houses, in box rooms, pantries, ready for the garbage can
^Pariante, Fabio (2021-12-14). "5 questions for artist Alexandre da Cunha". MuseumWeek magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-01. Da Cunha is inspired by .. modernist architecture and Op Art.
