With Alloy Alloy, Vleeshal presented the first institutional solo exhibition of Adriano Amaral (1982, Brazil) in the Nederlands.

Amaral’s work is marked by an in-depth examination into the nature of things that surround us. The relationship between the human body and architecture as closed and simultaneously porous entities form the basis of his artistic enquiry. In his work various materials and states of matter intermingle. Natural elements such as water, light, air and coal encounter artificial products like silicone, clothing, aluminium, machine fragments and concrete. These contrasting materials and substances are often employed to evoke connections with, or act as stand-ins for, parts of the human body.

In the fields of science and physics, an ‘alloy’ refers to a mixture of metals, or a metal made by bonding metal with another element. At Vleeshal Zusterstraat, a series of new works embedded within an overall spatial concept, created similarly unexpected fusions between humans, materials and architecture. A black-violet reflective platform constructed from solar panels was a central component of the installation, also acting as a pedestal for the other works on display. A doubling, as expressed in the title Alloy Alloy, could be seen in many of these sculptural pairings constructed from diverse materials including shoes, bones, oxygen cylinders and ultrasound gel. These sculptures also respond to our own sets of pairs – two arms, two legs, two feet.

Commission

Untitled

Adriano Amaral

Installation, Architectural intervention
2016

+2

Material: Solar panels and black styrofoam

Dimensions: Dimensions variable

Alloy Alloy was the last exhibition at Vleeshal Zusterstraat. Since 1998, Vleeshal has organized an ambitious exhibitions program at this location. Unfortunately, after 19 years, it was no longer financially viable for Vleeshal to continue to do so.