SLATE Contemporary Gallery is pleased to present ELEMENTAL, a solo exhibition of works by Tobias Tovera. The paintings, sculpture, and soundscape in this show investigate deep time creation and the primordial formations of living matter. The elemental power of nature is thematic and speaks to the connection between the physical and metaphysical realms, through which new forms are created. Each layer and each new substance that is introduced, is part of an intuitive movement between the artist and the materials themselves: a performative ritual that embodies the meditative state.
In his series PERMUTATION, Tovera uses salt, mineral, water, and fire to create pools of entropic verdigris. Accumulation of the medium as it oxidizes and transmutes onto the surface, becomes a kind of topography, showing the passage of time and space. The series DIFFUSION, explores paint as a sculptural object. Handmade pigments diffuse onto the surface conjuring layered textures of color. Each layer informs the previous one, creating a dialog between the hand of the artist and the inherent behaviors of the material itself.
Tobias Tovera’s cast iron sculpture titled Mergence, attains its crystalized surface from a treatment of salt and geothermal water collected from hot springs. These elements are pooled onto the sculpture, oxidizing the surface of the iron. This work speaks to the alchemy of forms and elements converging into one another. From the chemistry of water reacting with minerals, to a magic that he believes reaches beyond science, Tovera works to reveal how opposing elements interact, transform, or propel each other. This interactive transformation is what draws the viewer into these visceral works.
Adding an aural element to the exhibition, Between Forms is a soundscape composed by pianist and sound healer Željko Milovanović. Realms are represented by the singing bowls: Solar fire energy and Earth energy, and captured sounds of wind and water. Weaving within the elemental realms, this loop may induce a hypnotic effect.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tobias Tovera was born in Sacramento, California and studied at the California College of the Arts and the San Francisco Art Institute. His work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in the United States, Asia and Europe, and is part of numerous private, public, and corporate collections. During the course of his career, Tovera has developed two bodies of work in painting and a series of sculptures. His new work investigates the interplay between his paintings and his sculptures and how they inform each other. Tobias lives and works on the Mojave Desert, in Yucca Valley, California, and is the founder of the Ark Project, an international artist residency program. He has been awarded residencies at Lucid Art Foundation, Root Division, and Local Language Art, and has been published in American Artwork, Studio Journal Knock, Studio Visit, and Art Voices Magazine.
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