Artist: Skygolpe
Exhibition title: Third Dimension
Curated by: Giuseppe Moscatello and produced by Valuart
Venue: Foundry, Dubai
Date: November 15, 2023 – January 7, 2024
Photography: All images copyright and courtesy of Skygolpe Studio
Throughout history, artists have predominantly been perceived as mirrors of society, encapsulating its core, and reflecting its ethos.
Skygolpe emerged as a notable figure in the post-NFT artistic movement. The name blends ‘Sky’, denoting infinity, with ‘Golpe’, indicative of ‘human intervention’. By reinterpreting the conventional artist’s role, he introduces a novel approach to the art world, venturing beyond the borders of traditional art practices and infusing his work with an entrepreneurial spirit. Instead of just being the creator of his work, he positions himself as an innovator and visionary, reshaping and defining cultural narratives, and therefore pushing boundaries.
For Skygolpe, a canvas acts as a gateway, a multifaceted system encompassing diverse elements, each depicted uniquely under specific technical paradigms. These elements feature distinct forms, dimensions, placements, and texture dynamics. His work merges digital and physical aspects and delves deeply into philosophical domains. His hallmark silhouette, frequently appearing with indistinct, disintegrating borders, morphs into an abstract structure that gradually assumes prominence within the artwork.
For Skygolpe’s debut in Dubai and across the Arab region, he is presenting an exhibition titled “Third Dimension,” which combines bodies of work he has created over the last few years. For him, this represents an emblem of emotional depth, concealed implications, or the intricate layers of human consciousness. A bi-dimensional artwork can represent the observable universe while introducing a “third dimension” could unveil the concealed, unexpressed, or inner dimensions of a theme. This display serves as a reflective journey, revisiting the past, assessing the present, and envisioning the future through a diverse perspective.
Skygolpe’s silhouettes offer a fragmented view of identity, conveyed through a modern interpretation of pop art. These multi-tiered entities, defined by a radiant color spectrum and a diverse array of forms, voice a new-age symbolism, nurturing a singular visual language.
This body of work comprises canvases where the physical and digital realms converge, exploring the relationship between meaning and context. Each piece is crafted reminiscent of a “desktop,” blending fragments of other references to foster comparisons and juxtapositions while revisiting a gestural approach. The canvases thus encapsulate a process that generates “errors” and unforeseen outcomes, culminating in the composition of the final painting. His acrylic paint on canvas interacts with diverse underlying materials and patterns, initiating a dialogue that goes beyond a singular definition of painting. Many of the textures utilized in his paintings originate entirely in the digital domain, while others stem from physical color experiments conducted in the studio.
His AI photographic series originates from a collection of technological components that, powered by artificial intelligence, hybridize to produce images that oscillate between the portrayal of a dysfunctional object and its form. Intriguingly, the subjects within these images are non-existent; they are entirely generated through the capabilities of AI. The project’s aim is to explore the paradoxes and potentials of artificial intelligence in technological design, scrutinizing the algorithmic processes that lead to the creation of form, and momentarily unveiling glimpses and improbabilities of these non-existent media elements. This venture seeks to reveal the hidden and unexpected consequences of using AI processes in the evolution of installations, prompting a digital reinterpretation of the ready-made. By incorporating a diverse array of materials, the project aspires to highlight the versatility of algorithmic creation, merging technological components with non-traditional or discarded materials, such as plastic bags, plastic elements, and other generative forms of ambiguous practical utility.
Skygolpe is a paramount figure within the realm of digital art, notably in the domain of NFTs. In 2022, he transcended the digital sphere by successfully embarking on a journey into the world of physical art, unveiling his groundbreaking project, “Paint on Pixel,” through an auction at the esteemed Christie’s.
Skygolpe’s emblematic, faceless portraits are the result of a singular fusion of tangible layers with digital elements. In recent years, his prominent presence within the art market has culminated in an impressive sales volume reaching millions of euros, positioning him among the top 100 digital artists globally. His oeuvre emerges from the intersection of the digital landscape, seamlessly interweaving the virtual with the material to create a unified and indissoluble composition. This synthesis offers profound insights into the ramifications of technology on society, forging novel pathways for interpreting, utilizing, and contemplating art through the lens of blockchain technology.
Skygolpe’s work has been exhibited in the halls of numerous prestigious galleries and institutions worldwide, including: Palazzo Giustinian (Venice, IT), Art Dubai (Dubai, AE), Christie’s NY, Art Basel Miami, Museo della Permanente (Milan, IT), Valuart (Lugano, CH), Galerie Widmer (Zurich, CH), Fondazione Manzoni (IT), Nighttimestory (US), and Foundry (Dubai, AE).
