Gianfranco Meggiato

Gianfranco

Meggiato

Born in Venice in 1963, Gianfranco Meggiato studied sculpture at the Instituto Statale d’Arte. As a young artist, he first exhibited work in 1979 and 1984 as part of two group exhibitions at the Galleria Comunale Bevilacqua La Masa in St Mark’s Square. Influenced directly by his homeland, the fluid lines and reflective surfaces of these sculptures carry Venetian magic in their bronzed bones. It is easy to imagine these works as archaeological finds from another planet, all golden dinosaur skeletons and alien fossils. Giant corals with smooth orbs suspended inside catch the light. The holes might have been chewed out of metal by radioactive woodworm or spun into nests by a swarm of robot wasps. Meggiato uses the ‘lost wax’ method of casting, adding to the sorcery of the whole process as the wax surface vanishes into thin air leaving the precious metal coils behind.

Meggiato works by instinct, licking the waxy spaghetti reels into shape with heated tools. After constructing a wicker cage out of ‘sprues’ around this model, the artist places the shell in a kiln for a week so that the canes will be burnt out and the wax melted. The molten metal is carefully poured into the cavity, filling the tunnels with red-hot bronze. He burnishes the insides so they’re blackened and polishes the surface so it gleams, finally varnishing the entire piece in a furnace to reach maximum brightness. The end effect is of energy bristling in shimmering clouds, a sphere freeze-framed as it breaks through a window or a comet blazing through the atmosphere. Sun sets and sinks into water, torching the rooftops. As in the aftermath of a tornado, straw is found driven through metal lampposts, molecular structures are supernaturally altered.

Dragons hatch from honeycomb ovals, birds are trapped in gilded cages and treasures are buried in the heart of the forest. These shining totems are like nuclei with their fluid loops, hoops and curlicues. Moons with small black creatures peering out glittery eyed from the craters, spiney sea creatures and glowing puffer fish underwater, cones unzipped to reveal ladders of thorns or Ariadne’s labyrinth.

The artist creates ‘into-sculpture’ that is preoccupied by ‘void’ rather than surface.

By reflecting on the inner world, the capacity for spirituality increases. The serene minimalism causes us to stand back and marvel at the mechanical beauty of these planetary models. His work promotes a contemplative approach to life, asking us to listen to the still small voice in the centre of the storm.

Introsphere With Sphere Chromed bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, D.40 cm

Pyramid Tension With Sphere Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere H. 210 cm

Cone Energy Bronze and chromed bronze, H. 170 cm

Egg Embryo Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, H. 56 cm

Sphere Shell Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, D. 40 cm

My Free Thought Chromed bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, H. 105 cm

Blade Of Sceran Bronze, H. 95 cm

Module, Submodule (Quadriptych) Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, 37 x 37 cm each

Energy Fused Embryo Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, H. 156 cm

Planet X Bronze, chromed steel sphere, D. 80 cm

Sphere Enigma Chromed bronze and gold galvanised brass sphere, D. 60 cm

Pyramid With Sphere Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, H. 80 cm

Star Of Morning Bronze, chromed steel sphere, D. 60 cm

Open Disc With Sphere Bronze and gold galvanized brass sphere, D. 46 cm

Tension Disc With Sphere Bronze and gold galvanised brass sphere, D. 90 cm

Cosmos Sphere Bronze, gold galvanized brass sphere, edition of 9 32 x 27 x 27 cm

Ascesis Of The Soul Bronze, black vanish, gold galvanized brass sphere, edition of 8 92 x 30 x 30 cm

Flower Of The Orient Bronze, black vanish, gold galvanized brass sphere, edition of 8 65 x 60 x 60 cm

Nirvana Disc Bronze, gold galvanized brass disk, edition of 8, AP III 90 x 80 x 40 cm

HAY HILL GALLERY 35 Baker Street, London W1U 8EN, T: +44 (0)20 7486 6006, +44 (0)20 7935 5315 www.hayhillgallery.com E: info@hayhillgallery.com F: +44 (0) 70 5362 1735