Architecture, Nature & Monuments – Ceramics and Paintings by Davide Balliano

A theme that I’ve noticed in the work showcased here on the blog revolves around the idea of mixing mediums. I especially like it when an artist isn’t afraid to step outside the box, combining materials and making interesting works of art that can stand the test of time. In particular, I liked this set of work by New York based artist Davide Balliano, who makes canvases as well as sculptures from clay.

David says that he sources inspiration from architecture, nature, monuments and icons. What intrigued me though was the spiritual aspect to his work. Balliano uses structural concepts as a starting point, and then reduces them, removing all excess, meaning that the object can exist in its true form. This made me think about his ceramic sculpture and how often their forms, which are standalone open vessel, are then replicated on to the canvas.

For some reason it reminded me of this quote by Lao Tzu, “Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful …”. This seems to be a crucial part of his philosophy, and has led him to make some really exceptional work. I especially like the cohesion between all the different art forms that he’s pursuing. You have the sculpture working with the canvas, and then the different imagery on the walls jumping off one another. Some of the canvases feature black backgrounds with line patterning, others are white with simple circles repeated. Overall a fantastic creative and I reccomend you keep an eye out for his work in the future, you’re sure to be inspired.

davideballiano.com

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