‘Captives’

An on-going series of digital and analog sculptures and installations

As a continuation of the artist’s previous investigation into the rules and structures of classical art, Captives refers to Michealangelo Bounarrotis ‘I Prigioni’ (1513-1534). This group of sculptures depicting struggling slaves is aimed to have been left unfinished on purpose in order to evoke the strength of the creative concept. Using Michaelangelo’s body of works as a source of inspiration, Quayola deduces his own computer generated versions of the enslaved human bodies.

 

While fast laser cut figures such as ‘Captives #B04’ materialize Quayola’s free renderings of the adapted motive, settings like eight channel video installation ‘Captives #1’ exhibit the infinite potential for virtual variations. An exciting tension arises from the juxtaposition of the virtual and the materialized translation of Quayola’s captives.

This friction seems to resonate with the very early modern notion of ‘disegno’, a concept combining both drawing and design, which is closely affiliated with Florentine artists like Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci, who were regarded as universalists and masters in paining, sculpture and architect alike. Disegno describes the process of an idea becoming form through drawing.

Interview with the artist

Quayola talks about this role as artist in the context of NODE15’s educational platform, where engineers and programmers – who supported him producing his artwork – hosted several workshops.

“It’s quite common for digital artists to end up working together with engineers and programmers. It becomes powerful when you manage to work in a such team.”

Software-based variations

Mathematical functions and processes describe computer-generated geological formations that evolve endlessly, morphing into classical figures.

Robotic sculpturing

Industrial computer-controlled robots sculpt the resulting geometries into life-size ‘unfinished’ sculptures.

Quayola

London, UK

quayola.com

Quayola is a visual artist based in London. He investigates dialogues and the unpredictable collisions, tensions and equilibriums between the real and artificial, the figurative and abstract, the old and new. His work explores photography, geometry, time-based digital sculptures and immersive audiovisual installations and performances.