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The illumination of Filippo Sciascia
Italian artist Filippo Sciascia understands the meaning of light
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I
talian artist Filippo Sciascia understands the meaning of light. Apart from being the source of life in the universe, it has also become his greatest muse.
An exhibition of artwork, paintings and sculptures titled 'Lux Lumina' now on display in Jakarta translates Sciascia's perceptions into physical form.
'Lux Lumina means the light that shines. The idea of the exhibition is to put together different kinds of works. It's like an evolution of my work,' Sciascia said.
Paintings of burning rope, the shadow of a standing man and kneeling woman in a circle of light are among the highlights of the exhibition.
'I want to convey the meaning of life through this exhibition,' Sciascia said. 'Light is very interesting for me because everything is perceivable because of it--no light, no creation.'
The artist also explored the concept of nature in his paintings through imperfections, in this case cracks, on the surfaces of his paintings.
'I personally needed something that had more naturalistic touch to symbolize the closeness of humans and nature, and I was a bit tired of painting in canvas,' Sciascia said. 'I want to represent the rise and fall. The cracks look very fragile, yet they're very strong. They're like our life. We think we are strong but as we're getting older, we're getting weaker.'
Sciascia developed the technique through trial and error, eventually settling on coating the surface of the canvas with a thick layer of gesso, which caused the paints to naturally crack and split in ways that surprised the artist.
'I did this the first time when I was in Florence 20 years ago. I kept some of the works for many years and I started to show them in 2008,' Sciascia said.
'I love experimenting with technique. I don't really have signature and I don't want people to know me for 'crack painting', or wooden sculpture. As long as I feel that the concept is convenient, I'll do it.'
Sciascia was born in Sicily, Italy, on July 23, 1972, and raised in Florence. He moved to New York in 1983 where several other members of his family lived.
Upon graduating from high school, he realized that he wanted to be a painter. 'My first drawing was a cartoon I saw on TV when I was a little boy, and I've never stopped drawing since,' Sciascia said.
High school teachers told him that if he wanted to pursue a career in arts, he should go back to Florence, as the city is best known for its art heritage and the birth place of many art legends, such as Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.
In 1985, he attended Institute Art of Nordio in Trieste before studying at the Academy of Florence.
'I remember that I was very depressed because they told me to paint models, and I wanted to do more than just that,' Sciascia said.
He eventually came to Bali to work on an art gallery project in the island, Sciascia says. 'One of my collectors from Italy wanted me to design an art center in Bali, but as I still had work to do in Italy, so I went back and forth between the two.'
Hooked on island life, Sciascia has made it his home since 1998.
Nevertheless, Sciascia prefers to channel Balinese, Indonesian and Italian influences into his work. Some pieces bear a distinct Indonesian feeling, such as in his Mendut painting, where he replaced the canvas with bamboo strips.
'My work is universal; there are no specific things about Bali or Indonesia. In most of my works, they can be in Germany or anywhere else,' Sciascia, who has one son, said.
'My duty as an artist is to create something that can tell a story and remind someone of something before things fall apart,' Sciascia said.
'Lux Lumina' runs at the Ciptadana Building in Central Jakarta until Dec. 5.
JP/Novia D. Rulistia
