In our chaotic world, the self has become the one source we can cling to—and identity is enjoying a corresponding moment in art. Some critics applaud the acknowledgement of formerly excluded perspectives, while others decry tokenism and vanity. But, like any solid object made of infinitesimally vibrating atoms, the self holds complexities numerous enough to mimic collectives. A recent exhibition at Kunstraum LLC in Brooklyn titled “Identity In Context” examined such nuances through the lens of numerous international artists, including New York-based sculptor Bruna D’Alessandro, who debuted a new chapter in her work at the show.
Bruna’s work was chosen from over 150 applications,
Her ‘Steel Breasts,’ in particular, stood out for its craftsmanship and message it imparts: empowerment.
said curator Emireth Herrera.
D’Alessandro arrived in New York from Italy ten years ago and started studying at the historic Art Students League of New York. She’d primarily painted in oils while studying at the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Rome, but the Art Students League of New York spurred her first visit to a metal shop, where she fell in love with the medium’s physicality, as well as its symbolism. Metal abounds in the city’s subways and skyscrapers, but its hard edges are forged while malleable.
Many artists who produce metal artworks send them out to be cast at foundries. D’Alessandro, however, relishes the act of hammering metal sheets into playful sculptures, like “Rolling Head” (2016)—an interactive artwork that people can literally roll around. “I was always attracted by creating sculptures that can be interactive, and you can play with in some way,” she told me. Three years later, D’Alessandro forged her “Breast Book,” a human-sized volume of steel where each page is a sheet of metal, altogether illustrating the process through which she hammers out breasts. In the famously secretive art world, that tutorial evidences D’Alessandro’s passion.
She often underscores metal’s dichotomous nature by depicting delicate subjects like flowers and domestic still lives through the material. Breasts don’t make a woman, but for many, they’re a symbol of feminine strength. Although breasts are functionally strong in the sense they’re biologically meant to be bit, they are also a rather tender part of the body. Rendering breasts in metal honors symbolic femininity through the lens of D’Alessandro’s distinct body by reminding viewers of all identities and backgrounds that vulnerability is the real mark of authentic strength.
“The binary definitions of woman are blurring and finally opening up to a conception of ourselves as complex and amazing human beings with many beautiful shades,” the artist mused, “That’s why I also say this work is about everything that is simply myself and does not need definition.’”
D’Alessandro’s work depicting breasts evokes creative peers like artist and designer Misha Japanwala, whose acclaimed show at Hannah Traore Gallery last year included casts of breasts belonging to people Japanwala knows. Until “Identity In Context,” however, D’Alessandro only made nameless breasts. The just-closed show debuted her first pair of breasts as a portrait—her own, in fact. To highlight that premier, D’Alessandro presented her breast plates alongside a regal photo by Olga Antipina wherein the sculptor’s wearing the work like armor.
What I liked about the exhibition was that each artist discussed identity, and their own identity, with completely different movements, and completely different ways of thinking, using materials from their cultures,
D’Alessandro said,
drawing on family and role models, very intimate moments about people.” For her, identity lies in the chest. D’Alessandro might continue the series by hammering out breast portraits of others, but, naturally, she had to start with herself.
