2016 is turning out to be a great year for Alberto Kissola (Setúbal, Portugal, 1962). A solo exhibition in his home town titled «La escultura en el deporte» has been the definitive recognition for this artist. Eleven sculptures in different materials and styles, part of the calendar of events for Setúbal European City of Sport 2016.
Going through the artworks in this exhibition is a good way into Kissola's artistic character, which draws on several strands of contemporary sculpture. In Ciclismo he uses wrought iron, keeping the material presence to a minimum in order to give a greater sense of lightness and speed. Bicycle and cyclist melt into a single piece, just as we see them when they fly down a road.
In Lanzamiento de martillo, however, Kissola leans towards a different technical solution, heavier and more massive, conveying the power of the thrower. In Natación the artist uses granite to create a slimmer piece dominated by the verticality of the swimmer about to dive into the water, the same solution he applies to 100 MT.
God's selfie
Since it was an official commission, it's more than likely that Alberto Kissola couldn't give free rein to one of his main traits: his sense of humour. Luckily for us, Kissola has no intention of holding back in his more personal sculptures.
Selfie is one of his most striking artworks. The artist says the idea for this sculptural group came to him after the 2014 Oscars, when that year's host, Ellen DeGeneres, took a selfie with several Hollywood heavyweights that instantly became one of the most shared photos of the year.
What would have happened if Jesus Christ had had a mobile? That must be what Kissola thought, and he got down to work. Meant to be seen from several angles (the faces of Jesus and the disciples posing for the photo are priceless), Selfie is a masterpiece of irony. If Duchamp could see it, he'd give Kissola a pat on the back…
Along the same lines is No Smartphone, in which the Portuguese artist takes another swipe at the relationship between 21st century man and new technologies. As Kissola himself puts it: «even though we're modern people we keep the hunter-gatherer instinct of our ancestors, but instead of a club we use cutting-edge technology to hunt…».
And we can't fail to mention another of his best pieces: Kings Leak. A play on words with Shakespeare's famous character. «A sovereign act of urination», in which the artist recycles some metal sheets.
Variety is the spice of life
Although his first artworks date from 2005, it wasn't until 2012 that Kissola could devote himself full time to his art. In that light, we can understand why the sculptor born in Setúbal hasn't picked a single expressive path. He's in an exploratory phase, investigating different materials, techniques and subjects.
This past year, for example, he has delivered various artworks using wrought iron in thin rods, shaping pieces in which emptiness is the protagonist, an emptiness that lets them blend into the surrounding landscape. Although he remains within figurative sculpture, he tends towards greater schematism. Good examples of this tendency are Perro Guardián, Par Impar, Almada Negreiros or Bailarina.
In other artworks Kissola works with stone, combining granite and resin as in El Escultor, a piece that echoes the sculptural avant-gardes of the last century. Also notable is the delicate Love Me Tender, with one foot in the figurative and the other in abstraction, where he uses resin and silica, or Desempleado, in painted cement.
Generally going for the small format, Kissola's work is a fresh cocktail, full-bodied and with a lingering taste. Drawing on different influences from the figurative avant-gardes of the 20th century, he has managed to build a varied but suggestive collection, marked by his investigations into the relationship between space and matter, the use of different materials and that comic touch so typical of the Portuguese artist.
We invite you to visit Alberto Kissola's gallery on Artelista.
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