Santos, SP (Brazil), 1973. Living/working in Tel Aviv (Israel).

Alexandre Cruz Sesper's work encompasses the fusion of various techniques, including collage, painting, drawing, assemblage and sound. Through these methods, he articulates textured and intricate forms and compositions. As a self-taught artist shaped by the DIY ethos and alternative music scene of the 1980s/90s, Sesper skillfully executes the concept of montage by layering materials, recontextualizing references, and appropriating content from mass media and personal archives. His work navigates the intersection of the social and the private.

These works, oscillating between two and three dimensions, at times resemble showcases, serving as display boxes for images and objects that interact symbiotically. His (semi) human figures, constructed from accumulated and recontextualized debris, expose the excesses of a hyper-industrial society that has commodified everything, reducing simulacra and products to disposable items. Scientific illustrations of human physiology frequently recur in Sesper's work, along with clashes of color and printed text, fostering an alternating dialogue between conscious and unconscious modes of expression and reception. This deliberate tension between order and chaos is a recurring theme.

The staircase, another recurring element in his works, functions as a bridge between the abstract and the figurative. It represents a recognizable shape while leading viewers not just up and down but through the subjective spaces within the artwork itself.

In his most recent work, Sesper explores a departure from the referential, moving intentionally towards greater abstraction. His use of resins, which appear to freeze shapes and moments in time, places memory at the forefront. Throughout all his artistic endeavors, one constant remains: his role as an artist who collects and reorganizes materials and archives.

SHORT BIO

Alexandre Cruz, born in 1973, is a self-taught artist whose artistic journey began in the late 1980s, deeply immersed in subcultures of hardcore punk, underground music, tape trading, and independent publications (fanzines). He was a member of several well-known bands and music projects in Brazil for decades.

While living in São Paulo during the 1990s, he adopted the pseudonym Sesper for his artistic interventions. Simultaneously, he worked for magazines, brands, and designed album covers for both independent and major labels.

He has participated in numerous exhibitions at institutions such as the Rio Art Museum (MAR), National Museum, and Santander Cultural, and has held solo exhibitions in art galleries, including the "Reprovado" exhibition at LOGO Gallery in 2013. His works are featured in institutional collections (MAC USP, Itaú Cultural, and Figueiredo Ferraz Institute) as well as esteemed private collections.

In his role as a curator, he co-founded the Most exhibition space, he directed the documentary and exhibition "RE:Board," the result of extensive research into the history of art on Brazilian skateboards, co-directed the itinerant exhibition "TRANSFER," and curated the exhibition "Não temos condições de responder a todos”. This exhibition showcased his own collection and contributions from other collaborators within the independent music scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Since 2020, residing in Tel Aviv (Israel), he has been part of the first Noise Agency residency project, creating the site-specific work "Isolated Memory Loss." Currently, he is researching and developing more works in the realm of experimental music, focusing on analog sound textures using cassette tapes and portable studios. As a visual artist, he blends the concepts of open scores and music graphic notations with his prior explorations in sound, video, and installations.