Dark Optimism: Ghost in the Stone

Dear Friends, 

As we step into 2024, I wanted to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes for a year filled with happiness and peace.

As I've been documenting the progression of my work in this newsletter series, I also want to offer insights into the thoughts and research that have fuelled the creation of my marble sculpture. 

My recent work has centered on abstracted studies of the human figure emerging from raw stone. I’ve approached these as geological drawings in three dimensions, with figurative sections melting into more abstracted planes. I deliberately contrast the elegance of smoothly carved marble—an art form ingrained in our consciousness from classical civilizations to contemporary monuments—with its raw, untouched counterpart. The selection of the stone I employ is a pivotal component of the sculpting process, where the un-carved portions of the marble carry as much weight as their carved counterparts. The dynamic interaction between these carved and un-carved elements constitutes the aesthetic and conceptual focal point of the works I am currently developing. The idea with this work is to reflect on the body as in and on the land. And when thinking about land one cannot avoid thinking about the climate crisis. 

In the wake of the COP28 conference in December and the ever-present looming climate anxiety across the world, I remembered what my friend Bill Spindle, a climate journalist, wrote in one of his newsletters from 2022: “Artists are storytellers and tap into anxieties and human fears that hold back progress. Artists can raise awareness of climate change, but more than that, they can help provide the purpose and courage necessary to change.” 

I am under no illusion that any singular work of art can meaningfully create lasting positive change in the face of climate catastrophe. However, the idea of consciousness-raising interests me, in that it does not present yet another disturbing and depressing set of facts on the impending doom of our planet's future, especially considering the advancing timescales of this threat. Marble is tens of millions of years old and and thus uniquely presents the opportunity for consciousness raising on how we experience and understand time. Because when we reflect on how the climate crisis is communicated to us we are constantly being reminded that the catastrophe is accelerating yet our human capacity to process that information and act accordingly hasn’t changed. 

There was an exhibition at MoMA PS1 in 2013 called "Dark Optimism." The title of this exhibition has stayed with me. It was originally taken from the editorial collective and magazine Triple Canopy— which conceives the end of the world and the advent of a new world under the influence of technological transformation. The works exhibited in "Dark Optimism"  embodied the ambiguity of the phrase, enunciating a perverse subject while encouraging at the same time the reinvention of utopia.

As a species with relatively short lives and fleeting attention spans, humans struggle to grasp the long-term implications of an evolving emergency that we won't fully experience. As an artist, my goal is to stimulate contemplation on time, steering away from presenting evidence of the ongoing climate disaster that society tends to overlook daily. Rather than demanding individual action to mitigate disaster, the work fosters a kind of "Dark Optimism" about our capacity to understand the brevity of our time on this planet. It seeks to provide perspective by aligning the mundane struggles of daily life in context with geological time.

Eco-anxiety is an interesting thing to unpack. Take Adrian Villar Rojas's work, for instance, My Dead Family (2009), a sculpture in uncooked, unprocessed clay that, over months, dissolved into the biome that contained it. The process of the decay and disappearance of this artwork clearly comments on the systematic mass extinction of animal and plant species across the globe. The work is so impactful because of its direct interaction with time, the piece is literally eroding before our eyes. Contrastingly, my work's materials were once part of a landscape lasting millions of years. Now separate, the sculpture will outlast us, bearing witness to the gradual breakdown of ourselves and our natural surroundings.

In a world that often prioritizes surface-level beauty and aesthetics, my sculptures offer a contemplative exploration of time. Currently, my artistic focus revolves around unveiling and capturing the inherent power of marble through sculpture, steering away from merely imitating classical aesthetics. Instead, I aim to forge a connection with the profound beauty of an ancient craft. Amidst the sea of new materials like plastics, wood, and metals dominating our lives – products of mass manufacturing in recent years – marble stands as a timeless relic, millions of years old. It represents a unique opportunity to engage with ancient materials, fostering a stoic reflection on the transient nature of our lives within the context of deep geological time. Consider it a gentle reminder to maintain a broader perspective in navigating life's complexities.

The title of this series, Dark Optimism: Ghost in the Stone, reflects two crucial perspectives. The first reflects on our human inability to comprehend deep time and the imminent climate collapse. The second embraces a more playful and escapist interest in the role of science fiction as a catalyst for my creative thinking. "Ghost in the Stone" pays homage to the science fiction genre, including works like Ghost in the Shell, Dune, Star Wars, etc. It also captures a poetic vision of the interplay between raw stone and carved marble within this series. The artworks represent fragments of a body, a ghost in stone, compelling you to contemplate how time unfolds.

Dark Optimism: Ghost in the Stone prompts us to reflect on the immense expanse of geological time, with marble's age spanning millennia. It encourages us to broaden our perspective beyond the human lens of days, months, and years.

As I continue to develop my work and plan for 2024, I recognize the significance of finding homes for my sculptures, ensuring the sustainability of my work. To explore available sculptures for purchase, feel free to reply to this email of contact me at [email protected].

I appreciate the chance to share this journey with you, thank you for being here.

Warm wishes,

Isotta