PAINT ON PIXEL (series)
"Paint on Pixel" marks Skygolpe’s inaugural venture into the realm of physical art. Following a successful debut at Christie's auction in July 2022, the collection has been showcased through solo exhibitions across Switzerland, the United States, and the UAE.
This collection is significant as it represents one of the first successful attempts to merge physical art with digital technology. Each painting is linked to its NFT certificate, and for the first time in a prestigious context like Christie's, ownership of the physical painting was obtained through the auctioning of the digital certificate of authenticity.
Skygolpe’s artistic practice blends various digital and analog elements to achieve a hybrid outcome, situated at the intersection of virtual and tangible dimensions. This body of work features canvases where the physical and digital realms collide, exploring the relationship between meaning and context.
Acrylic paint on canvas interacts with diverse underlying materials and patterns, fostering a dialogue that transcends a monothematic definition of painting, embracing novel, heterogeneous forms. Each piece is crafted akin to a “desktop,” blending fragments of various references to create comparisons and juxtapositions while revisiting a gestural approach. The artist employs an array of materials and techniques, both digital and physical, merging them into a seamless, indissoluble whole.
For Skygolpe, a painting represents a complex system comprising numerous objects, each reproduced in various ways under distinct technical conditions. These objects possess unique shapes, sizes, positions, and surface morphologies. Numerous factors influence their digital manifestation on a physical surface. The works undergo scanning, printing, and reproduction before being revisited until they embody a result mediated by chance.
Skygolpe’s signature silhouette often appears with blurred, flaking edges, surrendering its form in favor of an abstract composition that gradually integrates and assumes a central role in the work, becoming the true subject. Many of the textures employed in his paintings are conceived entirely in the digital realm, while others are derived from physical color experiments conducted in the studio. Skygolpe is captivated by the potential to alter and transform reality and the viewer’s perception through these works, which often represent attempts at partial compositions—sometimes complete, other times still awaiting completion.
PAINT ON PIXEL EXHIBITIONS:
2022 July 8-21,
Christie’s, New York, US
2022 September 29, Galerie Widmer Auktionen, Zurich, CH
2022 November 10, Lugano, CH
2022 June 13-14, Basel, CH
2023 November 15, 2023, January 7, 2024, Dubai, UAE
2024 May 29,
Christie’s, Hong Kong, HK
2024 June 11, Basel, CH
2024 October 17, Palazzo Turati, Milan IT
“His hallmark silhouette, frequently appearing with indistinct, disintegrating borders, morphs into an abstract structure that gradually assumes prominence within the artwork.
For Skygolpe’s debut in Dubai and across the Arab region, he is presenting an exhibition titled “Third Dimension,” which combines bodies of work he has created over the last few years. For him, this represents an emblem of emotional depth, concealed implications, or the intricate layers of human consciousness. A bi-dimensional artwork can represent the observable universe while introducing a “third dimension” could unveil the concealed, unexpressed, or inner dimensions of a theme. This display serves as a reflective journey, revisiting the past, assessing the present, and envisioning the future through a diverse perspective.
Skygolpe’s silhouettes offer a fragmented view of identity, conveyed through a modern interpretation of pop art. These multi-tiered entities, defined by a radiant color spectrum and a diverse array of forms, voice a new-age symbolism, nurturing a singular visual language.
This body of work comprises canvases where the physical and digital realms converge, exploring the relationship between meaning and context. Each piece is crafted reminiscent of a “desktop,” blending fragments of other references to foster comparisons and juxtapositions while revisiting a gestural approach. The canvases thus encapsulate a process that generates “errors” and unforeseen outcomes, culminating in the composition of the final painting. His acrylic paint on canvas interacts with diverse underlying materials and patterns, initiating a dialogue that goes beyond a singular definition of painting. Many of the textures utilized in his paintings originate entirely in the digital domain, while others stem from physical color experiments conducted in the studio.”
Giuseppe Moscatello
WORKS:
