Scroll is pleased to present Custom Made, an exhibition of new works by Adèle Aproh. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition in the United States.
Aproh brings together a unique visual lexicon to create fantastical, fictional worlds built up layer upon layer. Her drawings, executed expertly in colored pencil and pastel, tell stories within stories, unfolding a complex universe full of symbolism and references.
Aproh approaches themes of identity, uniformity, social and work hierarchies with surrealist absurdity. In these ten new works, the artist addresses the construction of identity through different social codes, visualized through her protagonist’s uniformity of outfits, hairstyles, facial features, and actions. Born and raised in France to Chinese, Hungarian, and Spanish parents, Aproh’s works also contemplate the idea of belonging: how by wanting to fit into a group, one can end up erasing their identity and creating a new one. This reduction of one’s identity, built through dress codes in this new body of work, is further emphasized when the uniform is worn by someone stripped of distinguishing features. In these fantastical scenes, Aproh attempts to desacralize the concept of the uniform through the introduction of busy pattern and vibrant color. Her illustrations realize this ‘anachronism,’ blurring the boundaries between uniform and disguise.
Pulling inspiration from all around, Aproh creates a melting pot of her own culture, surroundings, and herself. She frequents the local library focused on fashion history and flips through books illustrating the archival designs of Issey Miyake and Kenzo; during creative blocks, she plays Miyazaki films and finds both serenity and inspiration from the characters that fill the screen. She recalls Alice in Wonderland and the Queen of Hearts in Through the Box, whose central figure dons a deep red dress reminiscent of the classic story. In One of Them, Aproh dresses the figures in hanbok-inspired dresses with Missoni-like patterns. The Harvest draws direct inspiration from Diego Rivera’s flower vendors while considering the hierarchy of labor between the flower pickers and carriers. Entangled, a self-portrait, is a layered, personal work that considers the French expression ‘se faire des noeuds au cerveau,’ translated to English as ‘to get knots in the brain.’ The phrase relates to an overthinker, someone who ruminates on things over and over. As someone who has fought with anxiety since youth, Aproh wanted to create a work that addresses this through lightness. Seamlessly weaving together a diverse web of personal and cultural references, Aproh narrates a multi-layered tale of identity and inclusion.
Aproh currently lives and works in Paris. She has recently exhibited at ATLA, Los Angeles, Saatchi Gallery, London, IRL Gallery, New York, and MIMA Museum, Brussels.
