ECHO, 2024
A solo exhibition (open for public), Amsterdam Court House, April 3 until June 27, 2024.
ECHO questions institutional power through paintings made from discarded materials, literally placed in front of the polished monumental walls of the Amsterdam Courthouse. This juxtaposition reveals the fragility of identity under authority.
Van den Broek mirrors the courthouse’s severe appearance by building tension between his textured surfaces and the building’s aesthetic. Cracks in his works expose vulnerabilities beneath the facade, illustrating the inherent flaws in institutional structures. His portraits and environmental works, featuring fragmented silhouettes marked by sharp contrasts and reflections, embody fragmented identities—judge, defendant, observer—leaving it to the viewer to discern which role they embody
By juxtaposing the discarded with the monumental, van den Broek exposes the contradictions of power and prompts viewers to question how authority shapes individual identity. His work challenges the idea that institutional strength protects people, revealing the emotional toll on those reduced to roles within these systems. Through raw materials and fragmented forms, viewers are invited to reflect on their own vulnerabilities in the face of authority, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities of identity and institutional control.
Van den Broek mirrors the courthouse’s severe appearance by building tension between his textured surfaces and the building’s aesthetic. Cracks in his works expose vulnerabilities beneath the facade, illustrating the inherent flaws in institutional structures. His portraits and environmental works, featuring fragmented silhouettes marked by sharp contrasts and reflections, embody fragmented identities—judge, defendant, observer—leaving it to the viewer to discern which role they embody
By juxtaposing the discarded with the monumental, van den Broek exposes the contradictions of power and prompts viewers to question how authority shapes individual identity. His work challenges the idea that institutional strength protects people, revealing the emotional toll on those reduced to roles within these systems. Through raw materials and fragmented forms, viewers are invited to reflect on their own vulnerabilities in the face of authority, fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities of identity and institutional control.
TAIPEI DANGDAI, 2024
SOM gallery, Booth DG07, May 9 until May 12, 2024.
SOM gallery featuring the works of Aldo van den Broek and Johnny Mae Hauser at TAIPEI DANGDAI artfair, Taiwan.This exhibition is a follow-up to the duo presentation, ‘UNDERCURRENT’, at the gallery in Tokyo late 2023.
Undercurrent, 2023
Duo exhibition, SOM Gallery, Tokyo, Japan. September 29 / October 22, 2023.
Johnny Mae Hauser and Aldo van den Broek converge in the theme of "UNDERCURRENT" by spotlighting the quieter, often unnoticed facets of human life.
Hauser's photography captures the enigmatic realm of emotions with serene and introspective images, characterized by soft and cool color schemes. These visuals invite viewers to explore introspection, isolation, and emotional intimacy, challenging conventional ways of seeing photography.
In contrast, van den Broek navigates societal undercurrents through his textured artworks, often inspired by metropolises, desolate landscapes, and the mysteries of strangers. His choice of materials, such as discarded cardboard, wood, fabrics, plastic, and metals, breathes life into his pieces.
Both artists urge us to take a closer look at the subtleties of our own experiences, inviting a profound connection with the concealed currents of human existence.
ハウザーとヴァン・デン・ブロークは、本展示タイトルでもある「UNDERCURRENT」というテーマで、人間生活の平穏で、しばしば見過ごされる側面に焦点を当てることで共鳴しています。
ハウザーの写真は、ソフトでクールな配色を特徴とする静謐で内省的なイメージを持ち、人間が持つ感情の神秘的な領域を捉えています。
これらのビジュアルは、従来の写真の見方を超えて、鑑賞者に内省、孤独、感情的な親密さを探求するよう誘います。その結果、鑑賞者は、ハウザーの作品を見ているままに感じ取り、経験そのものに焦点を当てることになります。
対照的に、ヴァン・デン・ブロークは、大都会や荒涼とした風景、見知らぬ人々の謎めいた部分からインスピレーションをもらい、質感のある作品を通して、社会の奥底に存在するものを探求します。廃棄された段ボール、木、布、プラスチック、金属など、彼の素材選びは、作品に生命を吹き込みます。
両作家とも、私たちに自分自身の体験の機微な部分にじっくりと目を向け、人間という存在の隠れた奥深さに感受性を持って触れるよう強く促しています。
Vacuum, 2023
Solo exhibition, Vriend van Bavink Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. May 12 / June 24, 2023.
In Vacuum, Aldo van den Broek explores the tension between vulnerability and strength in masculinity. Sourcing materials from decayed and resilient environments, he integrates their scars into his portraits, symbolizing the emotional and physical past they hide beneath the surface.
Rendered in stark black-and-white contrasts or bold grey color blocks, his works emphasize texture to reveal the underlying tensions. Symbols of intellectual and emotional expression—piano, poetry books, and other objects—further echo the dualities within masculinity, bridging the gap between sensitivity and machismo.
His subjects, often with their gazes averted, reflect the discomfort with emotional exposure. Do physical interactions replace emotional connections in hyper-masculine spaces like stadiums? Showing the difficulty men have in expressing their feelings. By omitting traditional symbols of aggression, van den Broek highlights the fragility within masculine identity, where strength and vulnerability are intertwined.
Vacuum invites viewers to reconsider how men navigate the societal demands of masculinity and internal emotional complexity, challenging conventional notions of what it means to be strong.
Komorebi, 2019 / 2023
In Komorebi, Aldo van den Broek questions the censorship of sexual expression within modern Japanese culture. What boundaries exist between visibility and obscurity, and how does this contrast with more liberated Western perspectives? Using komorebi—light filtering through leaves—as a metaphor, he navigates this tension.
Drawing from shunga, traditional Japanese erotic art that embraces sexuality, van den Broek’s explicit orgy scenes dissolve into semi-abstract forms, reflecting the transient beauty of sakura (cherry blossoms). How do these transformations challenge societal norms surrounding sexual expression?
His sculptures, crafted from repurposed materials, embody komorebi, allowing light to filter through, creating an illusion of freedom. In what ways do these materials reveal the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength? The open layouts and thin walls evoke a sense of fragility, encapsulating the complexities of intimacy.
By intertwining shunga, sakura, and architectural motifs, van den Broek examines how cultural norms shape identity and confronts limitations on sexual freedom. How does his work invite viewers to reflect on their perceptions of desire and intimacy in relation to societal expectations?
Architecture, color, shunga and sakura research, Japan.
Palimpsest Tosca (Тоска), 2010 / 2024 (Ongoing)
In Palimpsest Tosca, Aldo van den Broek explores the decay of Soviet-era monogorods—towns constructed as symbols of collective strength. His journey began in 2010 in East Berlin, where the contrast between preserved plattenbau blocks and fragile post-Soviet landscapes captivated him. This inquiry extends to cities like Belgrade, Tbilisi, and Chişinǎu, where monumental architecture reveals its gradual decline.
Tosca—a Russian term for existential longing—embodies the collapse of ideologies. What does the decay of these structures reveal about the ideologies that once supported them? Van den Broek is drawn to these eroding environments, where resilience quietly rises amid failure. His sculptures, crafted from salvaged materials, evoke the tension between monumentality and fragility, their muted grey tones capturing the vulnerability of brutalist architecture.
Shifting focus from facades to crumbling interiors—tunnels, halls, and rooms still inhabited despite decay—he humanizes these spaces through portraits of residents, revealing life within ideological collapse. Ghostly figures and torn propaganda posters suggest the persistence of existence amid failed systems.
Through Palimpsest Tosca, van den Broek reflects on the fragility of structures and the quiet endurance that emerges from their collapse. How does this endurance shape our understanding of resilience in the face of ideological failure?
Former Sovjet architecture and propaganda research. East Berlin, Germany / Belgrade, Serbia / Tbilisi, Georgia / Chişinǎu, Moldova / Many cities in Siberia.
Kiss, Ride, Repeat, 2018 / 2024 (Ongoing)
Kiss, Ride, Repeat originated as a collaboration between Aldo van den Broek and photographer André van Noord, reflecting their bond through shared themes of mortality, addiction, and the cycles of life and death. During their 2017 work trip through East Germany, van Noord received a diagnosis of brain cancer. After his passing in 2018, van den Broek transformed the project for both into a profound meditation on impermanence and the urgency of artistic expression in the face of inevitable loss.
Driven by the need to create immediately, van den Broek utilized materials from his surroundings—such as hospital carpets and tree trunks—reflecting life’s fragility. The context in which these objects were used resonate with the essence of survival, prompting viewers to question how the remnants of life can embody strength.
The recurring symbol of the white horse signifies purity and the threshold between life and death. Initially a tribute to André, it evolves throughout van den Broek’s journeys through Mexico, guiding him through the transient nature of existence.
Influenced by Día de los Muertos, van den Broek incorporates dancing figures to celebrate the interplay of life and death, challenging Western conventions of mourning. A significant work in this series is a sculpture inspired by André’s final photograph in a tree. After his passing, van den Broek hollowed out a fallen tree, transforming it into a sarcophagus—an evocative symbol of life’s cyclical nature.
In 2025, Aldo van den Broek will start a commissioned follow-up to Marlene Dumas’s 2013 painting Nuclear Family, which was based on a self-portrait photograph of André and his family. While Dumas’s work focused on capturing immediate emotional connections, van den Broek’s piece will continue this exploration by examining how memory and absence influence the evolution of family legacies. His approach will delve into the lasting impact of loss and how relationships transform over time.
Beautiful distress, 2015
In Beautiful Distress, Aldo van den Broek examines the complex interplay between mental health and institutional control during his residency at Kings County Hospital in New York. This experience unveils deep emotional isolation, poignantly encapsulated by a homeless man’s assertion: “We don’t commit suicide; that’s because we are surviving,” underscoring resilience amidst systemic failures.
Accessing restricted areas such as children’s wards and prisons, van den Broek reveals narratives often concealed by institutional authority. He engages directly with marginalized communities, reflective of the patient population, as KCH is New York City’s only free psychiatric facility, confronting trauma at its source. Through these interactions, he captures the strength found in shared experiences and the connections formed among individuals facing similar struggles.
Documenting his journey through a video diary, van den Broek presents fragmented stories of survival and self-awareness. His painted portraits, created on discarded materials—such as medication wrappers, pizza boxes, and cigarette packs—blur the lines between patients, doctors, and street residents. Why these materials? They evoke a sense of universality, emphasizing shared vulnerabilities and humanizing the institutional experience.
In this work, van den Broek invites viewers to reflect on their encounters with mental health, challenging them to reconsider care that prioritizes individuality and empathy.
Kings County Mental Behaviour Center, Artist in Residence, New York, New york.
