JoAnne Artman Gallery is pleased to present Beyond The Stars, an exhibition of new work by artist collective Cascione & Lusciov at the gallery’s New York location. Comprised of Silvia Cascione and Roman Lusciov, the duo’s new body of sculptural work explores both hardwired and au courant notions of form, line, and the romantic associations tied to outer space.

The exhibition title, Beyond The Stars, invites multi-faceted connections between the origin of life and futuristic dimension, while visually translating the immateriality of space and time into streamlined, biomorphic forms. Conceptually focused on objects in motion, their installations, which often involve kinetic sculptures, draw parallels between the sensation of forward propulsion and an unknown, abstract future. Conflating the solidity of their materials with the appearance of a fluid, liquid state, the relationship between volume and space is explored in each sculpture.

Channeling the transformations of a star’s shape and color throughout its lifetime, Cascione & Lusciov demonstrate an understanding of how sculpture can serve as a tool of expression for different realities of life. Each work made entirely by hand and unique, the successful manipulation of physical materials such as bronze, steel, and acrylic mirror show an unprecedented sensitivity to the qualities of each medium. Combining clean lines of modernist aesthetics, highly reflective, metallic surfaces paired with organic forms amplify a sense of emotion and dynamicity.
Heavily influenced by minimalist and neo-futurist movements, Cascione & Lusciov appropriate techniques from sculpture, design, and goldsmithing within their practice. Modernizing a traditional lost-wax process of bronze casting that can be traced back 6,000 years, the methodology produces poetic juxtaposition between the ancient process and the completed futuristic forms. Stripped of all unnecessary elements, soft curves create a succession of roundness, yielding slick, aerodynamic sculptures.

Inspired by the words of Italian astrophysicist Margherita Hack, “All the matter we are made of was built by the stars… So we are truly children of the stars,” Cascione & Lusciov’s sculptures exhibit a belief that with the help of the arts, science and technology can achieve rapid advancement. In that sense, their art is a vision of the future; a vision represented through pure shape, innovative technique, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

SILVIA CASCIONE (b. 1979, Milan, Italy) received a BA in Sculpture from Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Italy in 2004, after which she studied Fashion Design at Politecnico di Milano and worked as a designer for several Italian fashion houses. Silvia is also trained in goldsmith’s art and wax modeling.
ROMAN LUSCIOV (b. 1983, Izhevsk, Russia) studied at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuania, and graduated from the European Institute of Design in 2006. He subsequently worked in the fields of architecture, industrial and interior design.