Museum Rotterdam has had a special statue since Saturday. The statue is made entirely of nitrous oxide cartridges and is dedicated to the Rotterdam ‘nitrous oxide man’, who for years collected nitrous oxide cartridges from the street from his mobility scooter.
Nitrous oxide man Eric Alblas passed away exactly two years ago, on May 24, 2023. Armed with a grabber, he collected thousands of nitrous oxide cartridges over the years. Artist André Pielage has incorporated these into the statue.
The statue is made in the shape of Alblas and, like Alblas himself, sits on a mobility scooter. It was not an easy project, artist Pielage tells RTV Rijnmond. According to him, the nitrous oxide cartridges together weigh hundreds of kilos.
Alblas already knew before his death that a statue would be made in his honor. He and the artist had known each other since 2018. At that time, Pielage was working on a work of art that was supposed to warn nitrous oxide users. The nitrous oxide man brought the artist nitrous oxide cartridges for his project. They have maintained contact with each other since then.
“It is very nice that I can make a tribute in this way,” the artist tells the regional broadcaster. “I had already suggested the idea for a statue to him. Fortunately, he liked it.”
Not just nitrous oxide cartridges
Alblas specifically started cleaning up nitrous oxide cartridges, but later he picked up other litter from the street. He did this despite being ill. Alblas suffered from a congenital blood clotting disorder. For this he had to be admitted to hospital regularly. In 2023 he chose euthanasia.
The statue can be seen in Museum Rotterdam until September.