LONDON.- Edel Assanti presents D-Construction, an exhibition of new work by Alex Hoda, curated by Claire Shea, Curator of the Cass Sculpture Foundation.
Hoda’s latest works apply cutting-edge technological processes to traditional sculptural materials to create sublime forms. Assimilating the visual language of a range of art historical movements, the exhibition comprises works from Hoda’s two recent series in Carrara marble and painted iron.
Constructed using 3D modelling, the marble sculptures are scaled-up from pieces of chewed gum and the iron works from sculpted banana skins. Despite being intricately accurate to the original objects, the sculptures themselves are at first glance unrecognisable and seemingly abstract as Hoda forces us to re-evaluate their aesthetics. Hoda’s treatment and selection of materials intentionally prompts classical and modernist associations. Yet his unconventional works are anything but classical as he recreates objects that we normally discard without a second thought. The art historical connotations of each medium supersedes the legibility of the object.
In the preparatory stages of each marble work, Hoda creates a broad range of maquettes by sculpting the gum with his teeth before solidifying the resulting forms overnight in a freezer. In a process of selection, material adaptation and enlargement reminiscent of Henry Moore’s late practice, Hoda then scans his chosen maquette in 3D space for its translation into marble. The iron works undergo a comparable transformation, only the source objects are delicate hand-sculpted maquettes formed from entwined dry banana skins.
Hoda's writhing marble and iron forms, at once suggestive and impenetrable, are sufficiently removed from their source objects to furnish them with a formal ambiguity. The tension between the high cultural legacy of his materials and the low, ephemeral nature of the subject matter facilitates a critique of our reliance on systems of classification and cross-reference to deduce meaning from the world. They ask us to consider whether a biased or predetermined reading occurs when interpreting abstract sculpture.
Alex Hoda studied at Wimbledon College of Art and Goldsmiths College, graduating from the Royal Academy of Arts, London in 2008. Recent solo exhibitions include University of the Arts, London (2008), Metro 5 Gallery, Melbourne (2009) and Royal British Sculpture Society, London. His work was included in recent exhibitions at: Museum of Modern Art Baku, Azerbaijan; Haunch of Venison, London (2012); and Newspeak, British Art Now at the Saatchi Gallery, London. Hoda's large outdoor sculpture, Whirlwind, was installed on the grounds of the Cass Sculpture Foundation in October 2011. Alex Hoda lives and works in London.
