Under the Shadow of the Dust of the Stars is Amilcar de Castro’s first solo exhibition at Almeida & Dale. Curated by Cristiano Raimondi, the show presents a selection of works by the late artist from Minas Gerais—one of the pillars of contemporary Brazilian sculpture. 

Recognized as a leading exponent of Concretism, Amilcar de Castro revolutionized Brazilian three-dimensional art through the use of cutting and folding operations on metal sheets. From these seemingly simple gestures, his sculptures take on diverse forms, revealing the complexity that arises from a synthetic mode of thought. 

In this new exhibition, historically or formally established readings of the artist’s work are joined by an approach that privileges metaphor, poetry, and unexpected references. Bringing together art theory, pop culture, and a fable-like narrative, the exhibition at Almeida & Dale draws connections that reaffirm the enduring relevance of the artist’s practice and the almost essential bond between the artist and his work. 

“What one attests from the contact with this body of work is the connection between Amilcar de Castro and iron. Both withstand the test of time and do not deteriorate out in the elements, but rather incorporate them to transform their matter and meanings,” writes Raimondi. “in contact with Castro’s work, one can attempt to cast a gaze that isn’t historicized or aligned with preestablished formal theories.” 

This journey encompasses the artist’s renowned sculptures, ranging from pieces over four meters tall to more modest ones of just sixteen centimeters. His drawings and paintings, in turn, reveal the continuity of his reasoning, functioning both as supports for sketches and experimentation and as autonomous works. Such is the case with Tela 465, from the 1980s, and another painting from the previous decade—both exceeding two meters in length—where gesture and color stand out. Smaller works on paper, on the other hand, demonstrate how emptiness and spatial relations emerge in the areas the artist left blank. 

Regardless of medium, the works demonstrate a cohesive yet experimental artistic practice. In the exhibition, they connect through a play of correspondences and projected shadows in space—an approach that intends to “involve the public in a world of carefully organized signs and lines, liberating it for allegorical and philosophical interpretations, in a bid to elicit affinities between sculpture, painting, and the spectator.”