Artist : Filippo Sciascia
Genre: Painting, Photographs & Video
Period: November 28 till January 28, 2004
Everyday, 9.00AM – 10.00PM
Location: Gaya Fusion Of Senses Jl. Raya Sayan, Ubud Tel: 979253
In his remarkable exhibition, multi-media and conceptual artist Filippo Sciascia, presents us with his theory that the process of creating and interpreting art can be represented by the equation ‘Reality – Painting/Video – Viewer – Subject’. This equation is a distillation of the procedures undertaken to create his work and also an explanation of how we perceive the work. To express his theory he presents us with an installation, comprising of video, photographs and paintings, which when viewed together more than adequately demonstrates his concept.
The genesis of this work is found in an elegant video. His model, Kadek, an extremely beautiful young Balinese girl, confronts the camera in a tight head and shoulders shot. Her movements are restricted to merely moving her head from left to right profile then addressing the camera with a neutral gaze. At the commencement of her gaze the image then experiments with real time and post-production video disintegration. Kadek’s basic performance is repeated various times with differing visual distortions. It is a powerful demonstration of the video medium’s ability to create stimulating images simply from its own internal mechanisms.
Deriving from stills from this video, and utilizing silk screen and painting techniques, Filippo then provides a staggering series of larger than life portraits of Kadek. Restraining his palette to blacks, whites and shades of red these ‘super real’ images display all the best moments of the video. Some portraits retain the video distortions, some incorporate post-production computerization while others are left more or less natural, retaining only their photographic grain. All of the portraits are mesmerizing.
Firmly based in ‘Pop Art’ these paintings display the alienation one would expect from the genre, but it is Filippo’s subtle brushwork, composition, color choices and his uncanny instinct to select the ‘right’ moment (or still) that moves these paintings into another realm. All good art should move us emotionally. Unconsciously we should feel that there is much more going on than what appears. The art must speak to us. Filippo’s art talks to us about mediums, about transformations, about beauty and how we perceive it and how it is created.
In the painting ‘Kadek 27’ the model is caught in a subtle moment of ecstasy, her head is tilted back, eyes slightly closed, a silent gasp coming from her slightly open mouth. But is this a moan of sensual pleasure or spiritual/artistic enlightenment. It is hard to say. The painting is a brilliant red wash over a black silk screen. Layers of paint have been applied to create the dense red glow, brushstrokes and scratches cover the canvas simulating movement, while broad black strokes smear Kadek’s eyes and mouth, all enhancing her moment of pleasure. The image of Kadek is transformed into that of a Madonna, or perhaps that of a Magdalene! The choice is left to the viewer to interpret. And, in this painting alone, Filippo demonstrates that art does indeed come from first the reality, then it is transformed to a painting and from there it moves to the viewer who must decide the subject matter. All of the paintings in this impressive exhibition show this extraordinary quality of revelation. It is an exhibition not to be missed.
