After Gowy

Alexandre Rola was born in 1978, in Porto, and he still lives and works in this city. He finished his master degree in Urban Interventions in the ESAD, and has a degree in Economy and Graphic Design by the Escola Superior de Artes e Design of Matosinhos. Alexandre strats his exhibitions in the early 21st century. He won awards in MostraPorto 2012, IX Bienal Eixo Atlântico 2011, 1st award fo photography Black&white- Festival internacional audiovisual, 1st award of photogra Argo, Rio Tinto, 2008, award of painting Desigual, Spain, 2007. Had numerous solo exhibitions such as “O Mergulho”, We Art - Agência de Arte, Aveiro Business Center; Instalação “Lágrimas de Portugal”, 17st Bienal de Cerveira ou ; “Panen et Circenses”, Galleryhostel, Porto; “Circus”, Trofa.
The nature of the creative process of Alexandre Rola is based on the appropriation, on the decontextualization and on the reinterpretation of humble and unconventional objects existent in everyday, like the use of advertising posters that overrun our cities without permission.
He wanders the streets like a Flâneur, observes, photographs, rips and tears the urban “skin” that consists on layers of advertising posters, like an anthropological map, palimpsests of brands, anonymous interventions like in Rock Art. The act of plucking posters is a protest by itself.
A chaotic background emerges, where new images, textures and inconsistencies are formed and the outcome is unpredictable as life. This fragmentation, according to the artist, is fundamental to the tension between the background and the painting.
For the artist, the painting works as catharsis and as social statement. A kind of extension of the human being in an emancipatory and plural sense, materialized in the solidarity.
It is an art of dialogue, experimentation and appropriation of poor materials in which, at first sight reflects the chaos and, at the same time, make us more human.
The theme of this exhibition entitled “Mergulho” (Dive) relates to the situation of the country and the world, with the crisis and the difficult situation people are passing. A "jump" becomes the last chance of people that plunge into the ultimate "dive", to a search a better life or into the abyss. The "Mergulho" is nothing more than a cry of struggle or despair.