Alexandre da Cunha's 'Boom' exhibition at Pivô explores quietness through repurposed objects

Alexandre da Cunha's exhibition 'Boom' at Pivô in São Paulo from 1 April to 10 June 2017 presented mostly monochromatic works that created a sense of quietness, contrasting with the onomatopoeic title. The show featured pieces like 'Mix (Boom)' (2017), a sliced cement-mixing truck trailer arranged to restrict viewer movement, and textile installations such as 'Kentucky (Biombo)' (2017) made from stretched mop heads. These works engaged with the gallery's brutalist architecture within Oscar Niemeyer's Edifício Copan, the largest reinforced-concrete building in Brazil. Da Cunha, who describes himself as a collector of ordinary objects, included the video 'Contratempo' (2013), a looped montage of over 300 found images of explosions, often nuclear tests, stripped of documentary context to emphasize aesthetic form. Another piece, 'Straight-Jacket' (2002) crafted from windsurf-sail material, highlighted themes of constraint and release. The exhibition blurred boundaries between art and life through formal experiments in appropriation, with works like 'Garden Court' (2016) using white wool, towel, and carpet fragments that nearly disappeared into the space. While political readings, such as references to Brazil's economic boom and subsequent failures, were possible, the focus remained on da Cunha's clever manipulation of everyday items and their perception in different contexts.