Elisa Insua: Sugar Coated Lies

Kyoto Art Center and strata Gallery are delighted to present Sugar Coated Lies by Argentinian artist Elisa Insua, an exhibition of new physical-digital artworks.

The new sculptures by Elisa Insua depict some of the most luxurious architectural buildings in the world; the most expensive private residency, Antilia House in Mumbai; the tallest building ever built, Burj Khalifa in Dubai; and Trump Tower in New York, a symbol of economic power in private hands. Employing luxury architecture as a framework through which to consider paradoxes of materialist temptations, Insua’s work looks beyond the architecture’s functional purposes and explores its role as a communicator of prevailing ideologies and measures of wealth.

Elisa Insua’s practice explores commodification through the lenses of economics, overconsumption and human insatiability. Her sculptural assemblages made of discarded objects inspire contemplation about the durability of everyday materials and anthropocentric pollution. The sculptures in Sugar Coated Lies were made from expired sugary treats, a medium that represents the temptation of consumption which provides instant but ephemeral satisfaction. With this unusual material, the artist gives a contemporary reading of the classic Grimm Brothers’ tale about Hansel and Gretel, in which children are lured to a candy house belonging to a cannibalistic witch. Similarly, with the three new artworks created for the exhibition, Insua accentuates the appetising treats as a symbol of human greed and temptation.

This new major body of work marks the artist’s experimentation with digital technologies; 3D modelling and Augmented Reality sculpture. During the process, Elisa Insua was guided by strata Creative Technology Studio and introduced to Blender, an open-source 3D design software and custom in-house tools. The artworks exist as hybrid physical-digital sculptures; three replicas of the buildings’ bases made of expired candy encased in resin and an AR experience allowing the viewers to see the entire structures. The physical artworks are each accompanied by a digital component. The digital experience invites the viewers to become active participants in Sugar Coated Lies, activate the buildings and place them in their own surroundings.

The three artworks along with a limited series of smaller-sized pieces are for sale and will be available to purchase via the Sugar Coated Lies website. All owners will gain exclusive artworks to strata’s mobile application and will be able to enjoy the hybrid physical-digital experience of Elisa Insua’s works.

Elisa Insua
Elisa Insua (b. 1990) is a visual artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina, working with discarded materials to create large assemblage collages, sculptures, and installations. Combining her background in Economics and Business with her artistic practice, Insua’s work reflects upon consumerism, capitalism, ecology and human insatiability. Insua has participated in numerous group shows in South America and Europe, including Virtual Vanitas at Usina del Arte (Buenos Aires, 2019), Ludica at MACSur (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Sur, Buenos Aires, 2018), Memento Mons at Beaux Arts Mons Museum (Mons, Belgium, 2019), Slight Omission at Cerquone Projects (Madrid, 2018) and Proyecto Vergel at María Casado HG (Buenos Aires, 2016), among others. 

strata
strata is a creative organisation supporting pioneering artists with digital technologies through its Gallery and Creative Technology Studio. Its specialist team collaborates with artists to bridge the physical and digital worlds and create unique experiences for worldwide audiences. strata champions network support between artists, audiences, collectors and communities

strata Gallery presents an exciting selection of contemporary art at the intersection of the physical and digital realms. Its curatorial team challenges the established norms of exhibiting, pushing the boundaries of what is possible even further. strata Creative Technology Studio creates new opportunities for innovation across the creative economy. It is a production company which prioritises ideas and concepts over technical abilities and provides artist support to produce work that is ambitious and high-quality.

Kyoto Art Center
Kyoto Art Center was established in April 2000 in the hope to promote arts in Kyoto in a comprehensive way by collaboration between the city of Kyoto, artists and other art professionals. It focuses on the following three areas; supporting young artists in their activities regardless of genre, collecting and disseminating information on arts and culture using various media, and promoting communication between artists and citizens. Kyoto Art Center’s activities include exhibitions, tea ceremonies, traditional stage performances, concerts, dance performances, workshops, and innovative projects for the conservation of traditional and contemporary arts. We also provide studio spaces and an “artist in residence program” for artists from Japan and abroad.

*Image above: Film still from Sugar Coated Lies interpretation video featuring a demonstration of the AR experience.