Elisa Insua’s first solo exhibition in Japan, Sugar Coated Lies, open now at KYOTO ART CENTER
strata Gallery and KYOTO ART CENTER present Sugar Coated Lies by Argentinian artist Elisa Insua, an exhibition of physical-digital artworks.
The new sculptures by Elisa Insua depict some of the most luxurious architectural buildings in the world; the most expensive private residence, Antilia House in Mumbai; the tallest building ever built, Burj Khalifa in Dubai; and Trump Tower in New York, a symbol of economic power in private hands. Employing extravagant architecture as a framework through which to consider paradoxes of materialist temptations, Insua’s work looks beyond the structures’ functional purposes and explores their role as a communicator of prevailing ideologies and measures of wealth.
Elisa Insua’s practice explores commodification through the lenses of economics, overconsumption and human insatiability. Her sculptural assemblages made of discarded objects inspire contemplation about the durability of everyday materials and anthropocentric pollution. The sculptures in Sugar Coated Lies were made from expired sugary treats, a medium that represents the temptation of consumption which provides instant but ephemeral satisfaction. With this unusual material, the artist gives a contemporary reading of the classic Grimm Brothers’ tale of Hansel and Gretel, in which children are lured to a candy house belonging to a cannibalistic witch. Similarly, with the three new artworks created for the exhibition, Insua accentuates the appetising treats as a symbol of human greed and temptation.
This new major body of work marks the artist’s experimentation with digital technologies; 3D modelling and augmented reality sculpture. During the process, Elisa Insua was guided by strata Creative Technology Studio and introduced to Blender, an open-source 3D design software and custom in-house tools.
The artworks exist as hybrid physical-digital sculptures; 3 replicas of the buildings’ bases made of expired candy encased in resin and an AR experience allowing the viewers to see the entire structures. The physical artworks are each accompanied by a digital component in the strata mobile application, easily downloadable from the AppStore and Google Play. The digital experience invites the viewers to become active participants in Sugar Coated Lies, activate the world-famous buildings, place them in their own surroundings and explore the discrepancies and juxtapositions of luxury architecture.
The 3 artworks along with a limited series of 300 smaller-sized pieces are for sale and will be available to purchase via the Sugar Coated Lies website from September 1, 2022. All owners will gain exclusive artworks to strata’s mobile application and will be able to enjoy the hybrid physical-digital experience of Elisa Insua’s works.
