Solo Presentation by Pande Wardina
January 23, 2025
Opening Primitive Learning by Filippo Sciascia
Exhibition
Solo Exhibition
Primitive Learning
Artist
Filippo Sciascia
Written by
Gatari Surya Kusuma
Bridging Realms: The Fusion of Art, Science, and Cyclical Knowledge
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Let’s begin by exploring the methodology behind Sciascia’s art practice with a descriptive account of my first encounter with him. Upon arriving at his studio, Sciascia warmly welcomed us. The first piece to capture my attention was a striking painting of a cave, bathed in striped sun shadows. Curious, I inquired about the origin of these patterns. He explained, “They emerge from light.In my previous series, ‘Lux Lumina,’ the represented light sources are painted with pigments. Meanwhile, in ‘Primitive Learning,’ the light sources are from electrical lights and incorporating materials like quartz that embody light, I aim to add depth and express the essence of electricity within the painting itself.” Our discussion then broadened to the topic of light, considering its various roles from a practical source of illumination to a symbol of enlightenment across different cultures, historical beliefs, natural phenomena, and its scientific correlations, including cable bacteria, a group of multicellular bacteria that generate electrical currents along their long filamentous body.
Sciascia’s approach to materials and natural systems is never taken for granted. He deeply reflects on how nature could work to the reciprocal relationships between nature, humans, and other entities. He contemplates the interaction between nature and society, a reflection that his intuitive journey is implied in his works. His depiction of the Goa Gajah cave, which initially caught my eye, not only symbolizes a shelter but also represents a space of collective human enlightenment and cognitive revolution, where abstract human thought began to flourish. He emphasizes that the integration of light is not for mere aesthetic beautification but signifies an ongoing process of accumulative learning.
The portrayal of the cave narrates the entanglement of science and art. During the primordial era, the cave served as protection from animals, shelter from natural phenomena, and a canvas for the early human cognitive process. Dense with prehistoric inscriptions, these markings evolved into complex languages, carrying both visual and linguistic information. Sciascia sees these primal sites as invaluable repositories between past knowledge and present explorations. Today, this quest for understanding is continued through artificial intelligence, echoed in today’s data-centric world where binary ASCII codes, composed of ones (1) and zeros (0), are used in artificial intelligence, highlighting his fascination and initiating a discourse on this subject.
In Sciascia’s body of work, he transitions from the literal tothe figurative and abstract, consistently featuring elements ofillumination and knowledge that are deep-rooted in nature. Heexploring the forms and essence of beings in nature, using themas representatives and metaphors. Among his recent interestsis cable bacteria, which is reflected in his piece. This draws aparallel to the human invention of electrical cables, used aselectrical conductors to carry electricity – a concept previouslyassumed to be a purely human innovation. However, we laterdiscovered that there is an organism in nature that had alreadyachieved this thousands of years ago.
He learned that the cells of cable bacteria must work togetherto generate energy. Sciascia has replicated this cooperativemechanism in a sculptural installation, choosing this mediumover painting to make an artistic statement about how the workand its spatial arrangement create a polarizing effect within thegallery setting. We had a lengthy conversation about this cablebacteria. I would not have thought more deeply about cablebacteria and their interactions if I had not had the experience of seeing this work. This example underscores the impactful roleof art in intriguing the audience. Additionally, it highlights hownature possesses abundant knowledge and techniques and howhumans have the ability to adapt and recreate, using them tomeet daily needs.
Sciascia allows his artworks to adapt to both the space and theconceptual framework; the works evolve within and respondto their environment. This approach mirrors the behavior ofphylogenetics and cable bacteria, which scientists examinefor their dynamic and accumulative processes. His practice isprominently displayed in his current exhibition at NonfrasaGallery. This exhibition not only introduces new pieces butalso includes selected works from his earlier “PrimitiveLearning” series. These pieces, having been part of differentexhibitions, continue connecting and recalling rather thanbeing unintentionally divided. This exhibition does not clearlydefine “Learning”; instead, it triggers our senses to think deeplyabout our relationship with and knowledge of nature, as well asreflecting on how much we understand our environment and thenatural phenomena that support our modern behaviors. It alsoexplores the connection between perception and information,both metaphorically and functionally. Ultimately, Sciasciauses a mixture of materials enriched with information andknowledge as a means to represent, or serve as representationsof, both subjects and materials.
