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Artworks
Davide Balliano
UNTITLED_0182, 2020Plaster, gesso & varnish on Belgian linen60 x 60 inches
152.4 x 152.4 cm$ 24,000.00Further images
Grounded in the contemplation of nature and its overpowering dimensions, Balliano's research reflects on the scale of the human condition, looking for its core mark through a process of aesthetic reduction. Engaging with abstract forms, Balliano looks at the complex structures of the cosmos, nature, and human-made systems in macro and micro scales, simplifying them to geometric morphemes – minimal units of a meaning that cannot be further divided. In his research on proportions and aesthetics, Balliano adopts the derivate of the arch figure as a key letter in his artistic alphabet. Borrowing this form from classic architecture, Balliano uses the arch to detail a structural framework for the systems he contemplates, which is critical to understanding the hidden constructions of his practice. Balliano's vocabulary, once synthesized to its most simple element, bounces back to a complex configuration of layers that, like time, reveal the backbone of a structure when stripped of its functionality and reduced to its ultimate shape. His most recent all white series, denotes Balliano's retreat from the complexities of color, and his embrace of elements he cannot control. While Balliano's paintings appear supremely meticulous from afar, on closer inspection they bear insistent scrapes that reveal layers of plaster and paint on the wooden surface. These roughly applied coats of plaster blur the intricacies of the underlying painting, providing a key reminder that what is visible to the human eye is only a fraction of the entire universe. As such, Balliano's paintings take on the form of ruins, which bear the weight of history and blur the progression of time. By applying layers of plaster and paint over and over and then scratching them, the artist forces his paintings to bypass any decorative functionality, turning them into scarred mirrors, reflecting our need for meaning and identity. Balliano's recent solo exhibitions include a presentation at Tina Kim Gallery, New York, (2021, 2019, & 2017), Museo Novecento, Florence (2019), Museo MARCA, Catanzaro (2018), Bottega Veneta Maison, New York (2018), 39 Great Jones, New York (2018), Luce Gallery, Turin (2017 & 2015), Timothy Taylor Gallery, London (2015), Room East, New York (2014), Rolando Anselmi Galerie, Berlin (2014 & 2012), Galerie Michael Rein, Paris (2013), Location One, New York (2011), The Artists Space, New York (2009). His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including Tina Kim Gallery, New York (2020 & 2019), David Zwirner Gallery, New York (2015), Sean Kelly Gallery, New York (2014 & 2010), Madre Museum, Naples (2012), The Watermill Center, New York (2011 and 2009), MoMA PS1, New York (2010), Espace d'Art Contemporain de Castello, Castellon, Spain (2010).Grounded in the contemplation of nature and its overpowering dimensions, Balliano's research reflects on the scale of the human condition, looking for its core mark through a process of aesthetic reduction. Engaging with abstract forms, Balliano looks at the complex structures of the cosmos, nature, and human-made systems in macro and micro scales, simplifying them to geometric morphemes – minimal units of a meaning that cannot be further divided. In his research on proportions and aesthetics, Balliano adopts the derivate of the arch figure as a key letter in his artistic alphabet. Borrowing this form from classic architecture, Balliano uses the arch to detail a structural framework for the systems he contemplates, which is critical to understanding the hidden constructions of his practice. Balliano's vocabulary, once synthesized to its most simple element, bounces back to a complex configuration of layers that, like time, reveal the backbone of a structure when stripped of its functionality and reduced to its ultimate shape. His most recent all white series, denotes Balliano's retreat from the complexities of color, and his embrace of elements he cannot control. While Balliano's paintings appear supremely meticulous from afar, on closer inspection they bear insistent scrapes that reveal layers of plaster and paint on the wooden surface. These roughly applied coats of plaster blur the intricacies of the underlying painting, providing a key reminder that what is visible to the human eye is only a fraction of the entire universe. As such, Balliano's paintings take on the form of ruins, which bear the weight of history and blur the progression of time. By applying layers of plaster and paint over and over and then scratching them, the artist forces his paintings to bypass any decorative functionality, turning them into scarred mirrors, reflecting our need for meaning and identity. Balliano's recent solo exhibitions include a presentation at Tina Kim Gallery, New York, (2021, 2019, & 2017), Museo Novecento, Florence (2019), Museo MARCA, Catanzaro (2018), Bottega Veneta Maison, New York (2018), 39 Great Jones, New York (2018), Luce Gallery, Turin (2017 & 2015), Timothy Taylor Gallery, London (2015), Room East, New York (2014), Rolando Anselmi Galerie, Berlin (2014 & 2012), Galerie Michael Rein, Paris (2013), Location One, New York (2011), The Artists Space, New York (2009). His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including Tina Kim Gallery, New York (2020 & 2019), David Zwirner Gallery, New York (2015), Sean Kelly Gallery, New York (2014 & 2010), Madre Museum, Naples (2012), The Watermill Center, New York (2011 and 2009), MoMA PS1, New York (2010), Espace d'Art Contemporain de Castello, Castellon, Spain (2010).