Nelson Jamal: Vale Tudo

About

While the world of Mixed Martial Arts seems far removed from everyday life, the artist Nelson Jamal’s latest exhibition entitled ‘Vale Tudo’ demonstrates how they are in fact connected. The title of the exhibition comes from the original Portuguese name for the sport and means ‘anything goes’. At first Jamal’s work appears to be a straightforward visual account of the world of MMA. However, Jamal is fundamentally interested in how the fight mirrors emotions or states of being we all go through as humans.
Hung in three parallel rows, mirroring each other in a long, rectangular gallery, Jamal has arranged his drawings into three important sections. Their titles are related to aspects of the fight, but can also be read as a metaphor for everyday life. In the first section, the titles are taken from the fighter’s nicknames, often referring to size or strength, and staking the fighter's claim to invincibility. The titles in the second section are the names of different fighting techniques. They symbolize the various challenges we face in life. The titles in the final section are the fighters' real names and their fighting records. They symbolize the human factor, illustrating the strong and weak moments in life.
The colorful, meticulously drawn works of male and female athletes are shown in these three crucial moments - moments we have all encountered in everyday life.