•  Installation Shots From: Paper
    Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union
  •  Installation Shots From: Paper
    Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union
  •  Installation Shots From: Paper
    Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union
  •  Installation Shots From: Paper
    Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union
  •  Installation Shots From: Paper
    Gaiety Is the Most Outstanding Feature of the Soviet Union
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Alexandre Da Cunha

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SELECTED WORKS BY Alexandre Da Cunha

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Alexandre Da Cunha
Nude II

2012

Linen, hats, gold thread

200 x 135 x 15 cm
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Alexandre Da Cunha
Nude VI

2012

Hats, canvas, thread

220 x 300 x 17.5 cm
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Alexandre Da Cunha
Cobalto/Burgundy

2004

Ceramic on rubber tyre

40 x 55 cm, plinth; 80 x 60 x 60 cm
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Alexandre Da Cunha
Marron/Celeste

2004

Ceramic on rubber tyre

40 x 45 cm, plinth; 55 x 55 x 55 cm
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Alexandre Da Cunha
Ruby/Magnolia

2004

Ceramic on rubber tyre

40 x 55 cm, plinth; 80 x 55 cm

ARTICLES

Frieze Magazine, Alexandre da Cunha - Published on 02/06/08
by Nicola Harvey


I was in the US recently and couldn’t help but notice the country’s penchant for displaying the stars and stripes. Granted, it is election year, and much has been made of the Presidential candidates’ allegiance to the flag, but Old Glory receives a reverence far beyond any election campaign. It is, quite literally, everywhere: on top of schools; hanging from front porches; suspended from office blocks; engraved into building facades; and waving from the back of cars. Up until 1989, it was a federal offense to desecrate – even stand on! – the flag, punishable by up to a year in prison. This collection of shapes on rudimentary fabric is the embodiment of the nation’s collective values and identity. But why is such lofty meaning projected onto a collection of shapes that has no material value? Under the banner of a national flag, patriotism and identity are considered black and white issues; as President Bush put it in 2001, ‘You’re either with us or against us.’ That leaves very little room for ambiguity, but provides comfort for many.

Brazilian-born, London-based Alexandre da Cunha, an artist long interested in the stereotypes propagated under the guise of national identity, had plenty of flag-like forms at his recent solo exhibition at London’s Vilma Gold. In the first space was a photographic series, ‘Seascape (Flags)’ (2008), of tourist-industry images of perfect Brazilian beaches fragmented by blank geometric shapes, resulting in collages that were reminiscent of standard national flags. These geometric forms connect ‘Seascape (Flags)’ to an abstract Modernist aesthetic: the series bears a resemblance to the peculiar ‘Tableau’ (1925-26) series that Mondrian produced following his break from De Stijl. (Da Cunha has, in the past, also made Op Art-referencing stripe pieces from old deck chair canvases).


Read the entire article here
Source:frieze.com