Presently, matter is on the verge of disappearing, strangled by the predominance of digital images exponentially growing to become larger than life, “like a velvet glove cast in iron”. This monograph acts as a toolbox for the posthumous reconstruction of the art objects reproduced herein: the works that the artist Alexandre Estrela assembled in Métal Hurlant, the last exhibition at the headquarters of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Paris.
The texts by Sergio Mah, Sophie Cavoulacos, Miguel Magalhães, François Piron, Joël Vacheron and Marco Bene, are the results of investigations on Estrela's body of work and play the role of a walkthrough guide disclosing an exploration centred on the idea of metal, from its visual, sonic and haptic properties, to the psychic and physiological impact of the discordances of its perception.
Published on the occasion of the eponymous exhibition at Fondation Calouste-Gulbenkian, Paris, from March 13 to June 16, 2019.
Alexandre Estrela (born 1971 in Lisbon) has been active as an advocate of experimental film and video since the 90s. Working at the intersection of moving image, sculpture and audio, his art interrogates the relationship between subject matter and imagery.
