Untitled

Enrico David

16

About the Artwork

Enrico David’s “Untitled” is an unsettling example the artist’s unique anthropomorphic surrealism. Cast in bronze, the work depicts a smooth, expressive skull atop an unrefined stalk of a body. Arms and legs don’t appear to be missing but rather unformed, as if they’ve yet to emerge from the figure’s craggy, elongated torso. Originally the outcome of “gutting” another sculpture in the artist’s studio, the extraction, upon finding its natural cranial counterpart, grew from a husk into something disquietly corporeal.

This leaning work appears trapped in a state of perpetual eavesdrop and seems supported entirely by its face bolted uncomfortably to the adjacent wall. The metamorphic nature of “Untitled” is further exemplified in its materials: the patina is done to imitate the rusting of cast iron instead of conventional bronze. It will change in accordance with the surrounding climate, suggesting an inherent liminality in addition to the figure’s malformed body.

Year: 2015


Copyright the artist; Courtesy of Michael Werner Gallery, New York and London Photo © Nick Turpin

Material

bronze

Dimensions

163 x 26.5 x 19.5 cm

Artist Biography

Enrico David

Whether working in sculpture, painting, textiles or installation, Enrico David returns to the body as a point of departure, exploring the human figure as a metaphor for transformation. His process of conceiving an image is rooted in drawing, retaining its impulsive and ephemeral nature as he transitions from sketches to painting, sculpture and other media. He considers this process as “following instructions in order to formalize the feeling of bodily presence and absence, assembling and dissolving in equal measures.” The mutable nature of his work embodies a sense of impermanence and doubt that he considers implicit to the act of creation. Born in Ancona, Italy, Enrico David currently lives in London. For nearly two decades he has exhibited his work throughout Europe and the United States. This spring Lismore Castle Arts, Cork mounted Autoparent, which introduced a site-specific work in the historic St Carthage Hall. In 2013 David presented a major installation of painting, sculptures and tapestries in The Encyclopedic Palace, curated by Massimiliano Gioni for the Venice Biennale. Other recent solo museum exhibitions include The Hepworth Wakefield (2015); UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2013); Head Gas, New Museum, New York (2011); Repertorio Ornamentale, Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, Venice (2011).