19 april 2022, Flor Linckens
A remarkable collaboration between Mauricio Limón de León and Adriana González Hulshof
The exhibition 'Les petits pois sont vertes.. les petites poissons rouges.' ('The peas are green.. the little goldfish.') will be on show at Ellen de Bruijne Projects until 30 April. The name of the exhibition seems to refers to a surrealist painting by Yves Laloy from 1959. Central to the presentation are four dresses that appear to be made out of stained glass. After a little closer inspection, it turns out to be see through silk, with leather piping.
The haute couture costumes are the result of a collaboration between artist Mauricio Limón de León and Adriana González Hulshof, who were both born in Mexico and have lived in the Netherlands for years now. The performance was provided by Atelier Caraco, a costume design collective from Paris. The fragile, translucent dresses are presented on a light frame, made of acajou wood. On the instagram account of González Hulshof, we get to see the dresses on actual human bodies. Dancing or playful on a kitchen counter. The project started thanks to a small stained glass window in the home of González Hulshof and the names of the works refer quite literally to their original source of inspiration: Rozenstraat 118 and Westerstraat 72 in Amsterdam and Janskerkhof 9 in Utrecht. On the other hand, they were inspired by textiles from Mexico as well as Peru, where González Hulshof grew up.
Mauricio Limón de Léon & Adriana González Hulshof, Westerstaat 87-3, 2022, Ellen de Bruijne Projects
Mauricio Limón de León explores different disciplines in his practice, including video, installation, drawing, painting and performance. In 2017 he completed a prestigious residency at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. In addition to the four dresses, the exhibition also presents twelve paintings by Limón, partly because the artist considers the works as an extension of his painting practice. The titles of these paintings, executed in white potassium alum, refer to an abstracted wardrobe. Defragmented, but undoubtedly instantly recognisable to a tailor as the loose components of a garment in the making. His work was previously shown at the Reina Sofía in Madrid and the San Francisco Art Institute.
Mauricio Limón de Léon & Adriana González Hulshof, Westerstaat 87-3, 2022, Ellen de Bruijne Projects. Foto: Nadja Massün.
González Hulshof currently works as the business director of Museum Kranenburgh and she was the founder and director of Amsterdam Art Weekend. She is particularly fascinated by the intersection between contemporary art and high-end fashion — and was, incidentally, often spotted wearing remarkable garments herself at openings and events.
Mauricio Limón de Léon, Garderobe 3, 2019, Ellen de Bruijne Projects.
