Tiago Carneiro da Cunha
28 Apr - 27 May 2006
TIAGO CARNEIRO DA CUNHA
28 April - 27 May 2006
Tiago Carneiro da Cunha's faceted resin sculptures lie somewhere between precious artefact and kitsch ornament. Sphinxes, skulls, totems, classical figures and popular characters associated with historical icons of sculpture, harbour all manner of paradoxical dark human impulses. At first sight we might perceive these as talismans from another hemisphere made by a cultural archetype, and, in fact, Carneiro da Cunha allows this initial mis-reading through his souvenir aesthetic.
All the works share a strong geometric structure, while referencing the faceting of gem-cutting or precious stones, they pay homage to art of the early 20th century, the multiple viewpoints of cubist painting and Futurism's worship of the machine-made over the organic. In fact, the works are made by hand, cast from plaster in resin, the result is a marble-like finish making the works desirable artefacts with a layered and subversive meaning.
Temple of Man - the title of the artist's solo exhibition at Fortes Vilaca Gallery in 2004 - is the title of a book by the mystic occultist Schwaler de Lubicz, in which the author compares the human body to the architecture of the pyramids. The works have many reference points; themes and motifs are taken from ancient cultures and beliefs including Egyptian, Peruvian and Shamanism, however, the use of primitivism and exoticism is always permeated with a certain level of irony.
Tiago Carneiro da Cunha, born 1973 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro.
Recent exhibitions include: RAMPA: Signalling New Latin American Art Initiatives, Arizona State Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, 2005, Elk Rattle, Kate MacGarry, November 2004, Instinctive, Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, 2004, Temple of Man, Galeria Fortes Vilaca, (solo) 2004
The gallery is open Wed to Sat 12.00-18.00 or by appointment.
Undergound: Liverpool Street, Old Street, Bethnal Green
Buses 8, 338, 26, 48
For more information please contact the gallery on 020 7613 3909.
© Meu 2001 (Verde Jade)
[My 2001 (jade green)], 2005
polyester resin
22 x 35 x 50 cm
28 April - 27 May 2006
Tiago Carneiro da Cunha's faceted resin sculptures lie somewhere between precious artefact and kitsch ornament. Sphinxes, skulls, totems, classical figures and popular characters associated with historical icons of sculpture, harbour all manner of paradoxical dark human impulses. At first sight we might perceive these as talismans from another hemisphere made by a cultural archetype, and, in fact, Carneiro da Cunha allows this initial mis-reading through his souvenir aesthetic.
All the works share a strong geometric structure, while referencing the faceting of gem-cutting or precious stones, they pay homage to art of the early 20th century, the multiple viewpoints of cubist painting and Futurism's worship of the machine-made over the organic. In fact, the works are made by hand, cast from plaster in resin, the result is a marble-like finish making the works desirable artefacts with a layered and subversive meaning.
Temple of Man - the title of the artist's solo exhibition at Fortes Vilaca Gallery in 2004 - is the title of a book by the mystic occultist Schwaler de Lubicz, in which the author compares the human body to the architecture of the pyramids. The works have many reference points; themes and motifs are taken from ancient cultures and beliefs including Egyptian, Peruvian and Shamanism, however, the use of primitivism and exoticism is always permeated with a certain level of irony.
Tiago Carneiro da Cunha, born 1973 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro.
Recent exhibitions include: RAMPA: Signalling New Latin American Art Initiatives, Arizona State Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, 2005, Elk Rattle, Kate MacGarry, November 2004, Instinctive, Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, 2004, Temple of Man, Galeria Fortes Vilaca, (solo) 2004
The gallery is open Wed to Sat 12.00-18.00 or by appointment.
Undergound: Liverpool Street, Old Street, Bethnal Green
Buses 8, 338, 26, 48
For more information please contact the gallery on 020 7613 3909.
© Meu 2001 (Verde Jade)
[My 2001 (jade green)], 2005
polyester resin
22 x 35 x 50 cm