An Artist’s Unconventional Pairing of Materials Challenges Perceptions and Senses
Turkish artist Guido Casaretto’s solo show, “Synesthesia,” at Galeri Zilberman in Istanbul, showcases exciting new work that continues the artist’s fascination with the juxtaposition of various media to create multi-sensory experiences, and that homes in on the idea of sensation.
The Istanbul-born artist is invested in understanding the ways in which our perceptions of nature affect our interactions with it. Through his artworks, he aims to capture the aspects of the natural world we take for granted, like the texture of a deer’s skin or the sound of a leaf falling. To investigate these subtle nuances and the sensory experiences they incite, and to represent them in art, Casaretto began experimenting with computer programs and mathematical models.
The show takes the sensation of synesthesia as its point of departure, engaging the various senses through dynamic works of art. Casaretto presents a selection of works that offers a stimulating blend of textures—the sculptures and wall-mounted works featured combine soil, concrete, skin, and epoxy. Presented together, these materials begin to inform each other through the senses they evoke in viewers.
In Duke Paul Atreides… (2015), Casaretto has created a classical charcoal drawing of a man’s back on processed leather; while the medium is typically used on paper, on this extremely tactile texture the drawing takes on a new effect. As a result, the work is a dynamic, organic form with three-dimensionality and meaning tied to its material composition. Other works, such as lifelike busts made from charcoal and resin and a deer made from concrete, similarly play with material to provoke thought and beckon viewers to consider their own sensory experiences. The outcome: an interpersonal, multisensory experience centered around dynamic, meticulously crafted objects.
“Guido Casaretto: Synesthesia” is on view at Galeri Zilberman, Istanbul, Mar. 14–May 2, 2015.
