Gianluca Bianchino

POLYPLANA: GEOMETRIC LANDSCAPES

June 3 - October 21, 2022

Reception for the Artist
Friday, June 3rd, 5-8pm

1. Mechanical Landscape 1 - Lithopne White -_GIANLUCA BIANCHINO.jpg

Gianluca Bianchino: Depicting Upheaval and Disorder
By Jeanne Brasile

Gianluca Bianchino’s wall sculptures are forces of nature, or rather, they are impressions of natural phenomena. His sculptures convey the disruptive and unpredictable power of terrestrial and astronomical forces. Arriving in the United States after an earthquake in his native Italy displaced him and his family, the artist’s work can be con- strued as a response to the upheaval and disorder experienced in his early childhood.

Fusing raw energy with chaos, the surfaces of his work are filled with dense, overlapping planes and jutting forms usually arranged over areas of negative space. The busy surfaces are often unified using bold monochrome colors and tones. The artworks are by-products of a profound physical, psychological and geospatial disruption - and they are Bianchino’s way of processing events that defy meaning.

In addition to depicting tectonic and geological forces, Bianchino is equally interested in the instability of astro- nomical and cosmic phenomena such as black holes, coronal mass ejections and dark matter. He constructs com- plex arrangements of materials such as wood, found objects and papier mâché - layering them in a manner that demonstrates the influences of assemblage as well as constructivism - at times roughly constructed - and in other pieces - sleekly and coolly presented. This duality typifies Bianchino’s artistic output - objects that attempt to depict the disorder and entropy found in natural systems as a means to comprehend the incomprehensible.

Wall sculptures such as Mechanical Landscape #2 in Deep Blue with its brilliant blue pigment and wooden geo- metric surface emphasizes the notion of movement and the coldness of astronomical exploration - a recurring theme in his work. The sense of movement is heightened by the shadows that play upon the surface, cast from other parts of the relief onto itself, the void, and the wall. This effectively obliterates the confines of the quadri- lateral support and brings the work more directly into the space of the viewer. The uniform surface balances the ballistic movement suggested by the jutting wooden planes, erupting tubes and metal parts which evoke notions of solar flares or galactic bodies in orbit.

Works like his Eidos Faux series follow a more rigid rectangular format on which Bianchino builds upon a wooden frame overlaid with photographic imagery sourced from his site-specific installations or video environments. The photographs become the foundation for layered materials such as wooden dowels, chips and shapes that are painted and accented with metal hardware. The printed images are the residue of site-specific installations and ephemeral works. His recursive approach - creating new, more permanent work scavenged from temporal pieces long-disassembled - disrupts our sense of time along with notions of decay, ephemerality and infinity while visually encapsulating laws of physics relating to matter and energy.

Gianluca Bianchino’s artworks are simultaneous and complementary investigations into the very nature of matter, the universe and being. He examines the tenuous and fragile components of nature and life as well as their raw power. Though inspired by hard scientific theory, his work can often be poetic and lyrical. He frequently employs repetition of form, line, and color to move the viewer’s attention throughout the work - and sometimes the ac- companying wall, floor, or ceiling space. His artworks explode, expand, contract, twist and spiral. His surfaces are never at rest, never static - reflecting the universal forces he’s portraying, but also the vagaries of our human existence.

Catalog available

Gianluca Bianchino

Born May 13, 1977

Gianluca Bianchino is a multimedia artist and curator living and working in Northern New Jersey. Inspired by physics and architecture, his work is focused on immersive installations and interactive sculptures that often engage with optics and technology. Whether working in 2D or 3D, Bianchino tends to consistently express lyrical qualities that stem from a background in painting and an interest in astronomy.

Originally from Italy, he attended an Architectural magnet school before relocating to the US where he received a BFA in painting from New Jersey City University, and an MFA from Montclair State University focused on sculpture and installation.

Bianchino is currently an adjunct professor of art at Montclair State University, William Paterson University and at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. He exhibits regularly throughout the greater New York area as well as internationally. Recent exhibits include: Suzhou Art Center (Suzhou, China), Governor’s Island Art Fair, The Painting Center, Chashama, Rooster Gallery, The Islip Museum in Islip NY, The Hunterdon Museum in Clinton NJ, and solo exhibits at New Jersey City University and Index Art Center, NJ. He has been a Resident Artist at Ramapo College, The Center for New Art at William Paterson University, ESKFF at Mana Contemporary, Gallery Aferro, and Gilbertsville Expressive Movement.

Bianchino’s work has been written about in Arte Fuse, Sculpture Magazine, Nautilus Magazine, Tussle Magazine, The New Jersey Star Ledger, and the New York Times. His work can be viewed at www.gianlucabianchino.com