CARVE BY VOID

In a graceful duet, artists Cyrille André and Pedro Pires explore the human condition. Are we predetermined or free? Models of reason or prisoners of passion? They delve into the complexities of human existence. Contrary to conventional methods, their works emerge from the void. Art and space are examined to extol the extraordinary virtue of the imperceptible.

Drawing on mythological references for one and philosophical musings for the other, the interactions between humans, nature, and each other form the core of these sculptors’ artistic expressions. In a Platonic analogy of the line, Pedro Pires’ human forms resonate within the spaces of the Montresso* Art Foundation, echoing the animalistic bodies in Cyrille André’s works.

Pedro Pires’ oxymorons are reflective of the Angolan and Portuguese landscapes he inhabits. Nature is conceived as a matrix. The artist’s welding torch, both a tool of construction and destruction, highlights humanity’s dual nature in facing existence. It also underscores our essential social architecture in building communal ties. Cyrille André, a French sculptor, cuts and carves to reveal the timelessness of myths and their incarnations through the rawness of the material. As he sculpts his giants, André reveals the depth of space and the necessary humility of man in the face of nature. For him, it is about listening rather than challenging.

Their works break the dichotomy between nature and culture. Nature is not seen as an external resource but as a creative entity. Human action is guided by the demands of the material, with the artworks adapting to their environment to reveal its autonomy.

Their artistic practices also invite reflection on the perception of emptiness. The human mind has always felt a vertigo when confronting this notion. This observation echoes everywhere: when faced with the world, humanity leaves an abyssal mark on nature. For these artists, matter is seen as the absolute realm of the void. The emptiness surrounding the sculpture leads to its very creation, serving as the potential for form for these two interpreters and measuring the depth of the air so cherished by Jorge Guillén.

This artistic encounter between Cyrille André and Pedro Pires reveals new interpretations where humanized space blends with the rest of the living realm. Carve by Void sculpt our humanity into allegories that highlight the complexity of being, living, and acting within it!