Captives #B04 (2014)

Captives is a series of digital and physical sculptures inspired by Prigioni (1513-1534), the unfinished series by Michelangelo. Here Michelangelo used the non finito sculpting technique: sculpting only part of the figure whereby it appears to be ‘captive’ within the block of marble. Quayola has reproduced some of these images in polystyrene. In doing this he explores the balance and tension between form and matter using computer algorithms. The process consists of precisely scanned three-dimensional human figures and computer generated chaotic complexes and abstract forms that are then draped over the figure. Quayola then chooses a relationship (an articulation) between the figure and the abstract form and programmes a robot to carve the sculpture out of polystyrene. The choice the artist makes refers to the ‘unfinished’ quality of the image. The artist has produced a new sculpture for the series especially for Artefact, titled Captives #B04. The work is accompanied by a multi-channel sound composition that represents the act of combining the human form with matter, as well as a making-of video showing the production process. 

Through his work Quayola seeks to engage in a dialogue between unpredictable clashes, tension and harmony, the real and the artificial, the figurative and the abstract, and the old and the new. He explores the boundaries of photography, geometry and time-based digital images in his immersive audio-visual installations and performances.