Juxtaposed: Sciascia highlighted two materials that appear to be detached from one another, but share the same origins.

The Italian artist has always been interested in science, despite — or because of — his background in the arts.

Perhaps this fascination was prominent in his Lux Lumina project in 2014, where Sciascia turned light into his muse, pondering on the significance of the source of life for humanity.

His latest exhibition, Primitive Mornings, is no different.

Held at Rubanah Underground Hub in Central Jakarta until Jan. 11, the exhibition is part of the celebrations on the occasion of the 15th Italian Contemporary Art Day by the Italian Embassy and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.

Primitive Mornings continues Sciascia’s exploration of light as the source of life, this time starting with the process of photosynthesis in plants.

“Nature is an element, a consequence of light itself. For me, it’s about telling the story of light in history, of evolution from the cosmos to us,” said the Bali-based artist.

Sciascia told The Jakarta Post that the theme was how light influenced human evolution and how it prepared the way for technology, which was still related to light itself.

“[Referring to gadgets], you’re actually holding one of the latest ones, as it is connected to a satellite. The more technology advances, the more it becomes embedded into humanity itself, and reconnects with the creator.”

Radiate: Sciascia’s 2014 Lux Lumina series was continued in his latest exhibition, Primitive Mornings.

Sciascia acknowledges that the concept sounds “a bit science-fiction”, but explains that the phenomenon is an extension of modern-day humanity.

This interaction of the natural and the mechanical happens several times throughout the works, such as in the Lumina Clorofilliana series of works.

The series is composed of lacquered photos of Balinese greenery, juxtaposed with corrugated aluminum and LED lights.

One might interpret the pieces as artificial nature in a technologically advanced era ravaged by climate change, but Sciascia strikes an optimistic note by saying nature will always come back.

“Life on earth has already disappeared before we arrived on this planet, so it is just the natural process of the universe. [...] It is just a part of chaos, and chaos is the order and disorder of everything there is,” he said.

Sciascia highlighted the scenery displayed in the photo: a Balinese cave. The materials of the cave and the aluminum sheet below might look very different, but he said that they were actually very connected. 

“The cave’s stone is made of clay and mud, and aluminum comes from bauxite, which is red clay. We see a material that is very technological but actually something really primitive; so that’s why I called it Primitive Mornings.”

Green is a major theme in the series, which symbolizes nature and is represented by mixing oil paint with natural pigments from plants to symbolically add chlorophyll to the artworks.

Natural: Filippo Sciascia’s subjects came from the idea that light is the progenitor of life in the universe.

One work, titled Chlorophyllia, is a large green square, painted with a mixture of paint and juice, as Sciascia calls it, from the leaves of plants.

“For me that work is like a manifesto, like an introduction to a book. In it, you have all these elements; chlorophyll is what mixes with light that would make the plant grow,” he said, adding that he incorporated indigo plants with yellow pigment to create the green.

The central message of the artworks in the exhibition, then, is much more philosophical: As the materials we deem sophisticated today come from what has existed since time immemorial, so do we, an evolution of previous generations all the way back to the first microorganism billions of years ago.

“Primitive is ancient, but mornings are the first part of the day, and tomorrow will still start with the morning. It’s this connection between past and future.”

His exhibition itself is also an evolution of sorts. Having painted professionally for 25 years, the 47-year-old said his first project was on the connection between the human eye and a video camera, also a parallel between technology and biology.

“The video camera captures light, so there was something already 25 years ago. It was a portrait of many different aspects until I understood that it was what I was most interested in, because it is really essential to us.

“It’s not about the painting, it’s really about people. We wake up according to light, and we sleep when there is no light,” he said, referring to the circadian rhythm.

Sciascia also noted that the exhibition was his first attempt not to be self-referential, instead taking up something that everyone could feel.

“I want to be like you; I want to be the viewer. I want to be curious like you are and make some new art out of it.”

Imprint: The paint used in the artworks incorporated natural pigment from plants so symbolically add chlorophyll into the work.

— Photos by JP/Josa Lukman