BRAZILIAN José Damasceno A gruta 2006 collage on photograph 36 3/4 x 51 in. (93.3 x 129.5 cm) This work is number one from an edition of five plus one artist's proof.
Provenance Thomas Dane Gallery, London Private Collection Exhibited London, Thomas Dane Gallery, José Damasceno Inframarket, March 12- April 22, 2006 Catalogue Essay Since the beginning of his career, humor marked with a sense of melancholic isolation has played a distinct role in characterizing José Damasceno’s art. Contrary to the popular assumption that past experiences are accumulated in the human mind, Damasceno is inspired by the representation of space as a moving dimension that opposes the constrictions of the human body. He believes that the fundamental elements of our environment, whether constructed or natural, play with the human idea of perception. In different spaces, our bodies come to life in a way that makes it seem as if we are not walking through time, but rather time is being created around us. Therefore, Damasceno’s art aims to create artistic interventions that bring the constitutive elements of space to life by deconstructing the barriers of mental perceptions. His farcical sculptures, installations, collages, and drawings reveal the complex relationships between narrative, object, material, and dimension. Detailed repetitions, systematic methods of creation, and formal compositions emphasize to the viewer the process of how a piece came into being. Damasceno’s works thereby play on the materialization of thought into physical form. The present lot, A gruta (The Cave), exemplifies the element of isolation that Damasceno seeks to achieve. The piece morphed from a photograph to a subtle collage reminiscent of a story book illustration. A solitary man stands dwarfed, albeit not intimidated, by the mass of his surroundings. A small light sparkles in the distance, illuminating both the colossal magnitude and the spatial emptiness of the cave’s interior. The medium itself sheds light on Damasceno’s concern with transformation, the act of moving from one medium to another, resulting in an enchanting example of his intrinsically layered artistic process. A gruta simultaneously exudes a feeling of innate commonality paired with a sense of confusion regarding the objectivity of the world. While the heart palpitates with excitement at the fantastical aspect of the piece, the rational part of the mind is daunted by the absurdity of the universe around us. The work brings together a sensation of adventure and yearning for the unknown as we try to translate the indirect connotations of relative existence. Damasceno prompts us to submerge ourselves in his work, to consider the dark abyss before us as if we are the man in the cave. Through our involvement, we play into Damasceno’s belief that objects require experience and engagement in order to achieve their full meaning. While Damasceno’s works demand an exploration of hidden meanings, they also withhold the intendment of distinct technical precision. Although A Gruta is a two-dimensional work, it still conjures themes of sculpture through methodological relationships between shapes, texture and volume. Damasceno’s use of collage creates a projecting effect associating unlikely elements into a new narrative within each artwork. When a two-dimensional piece decidedly extends in to three-dimensional space, it presents a fundamentally unique experience involving scalar space and atmospheric dislocation among elements. As Annie Wischmeyer states, “A primary theme of Damasceno’s work is the reification of space: his manipulation of negative space through the careful arrangement and accumulation of objects makes palpable that which is usually unseen and taken for granted as empty. Just as there is neither such thing as true “silence,” nor can space ever be full: it is always activated by the way in which it is occupied. Space, in Damasceno’s hands, is never a passive void either. Viewers are always aware of themselves in relation to the work, heightening their own consciousness in the act of seeing.” (A. Wischmeyer, Notations: The Cage Effect Today, New York, 2012, n.p.) Da
BRAZILIAN José Damasceno A gruta 2006 collage on photograph 36 3/4 x 51 in. (93.3 x 129.5 cm) This work is number one from an edition of five plus one artist's proof.
Provenance Thomas Dane Gallery, London Private Collection Exhibited London, Thomas Dane Gallery, José Damasceno Inframarket, March 12- April 22, 2006 Catalogue Essay Since the beginning of his career, humor marked with a sense of melancholic isolation has played a distinct role in characterizing José Damasceno’s art. Contrary to the popular assumption that past experiences are accumulated in the human mind, Damasceno is inspired by the representation of space as a moving dimension that opposes the constrictions of the human body. He believes that the fundamental elements of our environment, whether constructed or natural, play with the human idea of perception. In different spaces, our bodies come to life in a way that makes it seem as if we are not walking through time, but rather time is being created around us. Therefore, Damasceno’s art aims to create artistic interventions that bring the constitutive elements of space to life by deconstructing the barriers of mental perceptions. His farcical sculptures, installations, collages, and drawings reveal the complex relationships between narrative, object, material, and dimension. Detailed repetitions, systematic methods of creation, and formal compositions emphasize to the viewer the process of how a piece came into being. Damasceno’s works thereby play on the materialization of thought into physical form. The present lot, A gruta (The Cave), exemplifies the element of isolation that Damasceno seeks to achieve. The piece morphed from a photograph to a subtle collage reminiscent of a story book illustration. A solitary man stands dwarfed, albeit not intimidated, by the mass of his surroundings. A small light sparkles in the distance, illuminating both the colossal magnitude and the spatial emptiness of the cave’s interior. The medium itself sheds light on Damasceno’s concern with transformation, the act of moving from one medium to another, resulting in an enchanting example of his intrinsically layered artistic process. A gruta simultaneously exudes a feeling of innate commonality paired with a sense of confusion regarding the objectivity of the world. While the heart palpitates with excitement at the fantastical aspect of the piece, the rational part of the mind is daunted by the absurdity of the universe around us. The work brings together a sensation of adventure and yearning for the unknown as we try to translate the indirect connotations of relative existence. Damasceno prompts us to submerge ourselves in his work, to consider the dark abyss before us as if we are the man in the cave. Through our involvement, we play into Damasceno’s belief that objects require experience and engagement in order to achieve their full meaning. While Damasceno’s works demand an exploration of hidden meanings, they also withhold the intendment of distinct technical precision. Although A Gruta is a two-dimensional work, it still conjures themes of sculpture through methodological relationships between shapes, texture and volume. Damasceno’s use of collage creates a projecting effect associating unlikely elements into a new narrative within each artwork. When a two-dimensional piece decidedly extends in to three-dimensional space, it presents a fundamentally unique experience involving scalar space and atmospheric dislocation among elements. As Annie Wischmeyer states, “A primary theme of Damasceno’s work is the reification of space: his manipulation of negative space through the careful arrangement and accumulation of objects makes palpable that which is usually unseen and taken for granted as empty. Just as there is neither such thing as true “silence,” nor can space ever be full: it is always activated by the way in which it is occupied. Space, in Damasceno’s hands, is never a passive void either. Viewers are always aware of themselves in relation to the work, heightening their own consciousness in the act of seeing.” (A. Wischmeyer, Notations: The Cage Effect Today, New York, 2012, n.p.) Da
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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