Seconda Natura

Quayola

November 14, 2019 – January 6, 2020

Second Nature is an exhibition by artist the Quayola (b. 1982). The exhibition aims at offering a new interpretation of the plant world with a contemporary look. The project is on display at the Botanical Gardens, a place that has witnessed some of the most important scientific discoveries found in botany. The project stems from a collaboration between the University of Padua Botanical Gardens, and the Alberto Peruzzo Foundation, along with the support of the Galleria Marignana Arte in Venice.

Quayola delves into the relationship between reality and fiction by recreating virtual spaces observed through a new perspective. Quayola offers us a "second nature", a nature that is different from our accustomed human experience.  The digital series of Quayola, entitled Remains and Jardins d’Été, use flowers and forests as its subject.  The exhibition offers more than just an aesthetic interaction with the ancient gardens of Padua.  Quayola’s work discloses a connection between his technique and the scientific history of the garden based on the issues related to the evolutionary direction of the human species and the planet.

In the Remains series, the forest is represented by a collection of data that is created by a 3D laser scanners  forming millions of white dots. The resulting images are a hybrid between a reproduction and digital reprocessing. While observing the wok we come to realize that it’s not a representation of reality, but rather, a computer simulations of nature.

It is a mechanical way of understanding the world. In the Jardins d’Été (a ultra-high definition video) we observe digital paintings similar to that of French Impressionists, but whereas the brushstrokes are created by software algorithms. Just like a classically trained painter, the artist uses natural elements as his pretext while at the same time investigating a new representation of logic, the computer.

The artist Quayola, born in Rome in 1982, lives and works between London and Rome. Quayola uses technology as a lens to explore the tension and balance between seemingly contrasting forces. Building immersive installations, the artist reinvents traditional images through contemporary technology. Hellenistic sculptures, old master paintings, and baroque architecture are just some of the starting points for Quayola's abstract compositions. By observing natural landscapes and patterns through advanced technologies, the artist probes not only nature, but also the ways in which it is perceived. The nature presented by Quayola is a hybrid between the perception of man and that of the machine. The artists technique is derived from customized computer software, as well as audiovisual performances, videos, sculpture, and works on paper.

The artist has exhibited in museums and institutions around the world, including the V&A Museum in London, Park Avenue Armory in New York, Bozar in Brussels, and the National Art Center in Tokyo. In 2013 he was awarded the Golden Nica grand prize at Ars Electronica in Linz.

Translation by Ellen Jane Corcoran