ARETXT : La Biennale di Venezia
54 Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte
Giardini di Castello - Australia

SHUAN GLADWELLE
Hany Armanious

–Hanry Armanious is an Egyptian born Australian and as suchs is representative of the multicultural nature of contemporary life on the world's largest island.

Based in the process of casting, Armanious‘s sculptures present a double take on objects ranging from ancient history to the everyday. His meticulous casts of found objects - usually redundant or discarded items that feature the wear and tear of their past lives – are deliberately created in non-precious materials, most commonly polyurethane resin.

Armanious redefines the traditional intention of casting – creating multiple identical reproductions of an object – and instead uses the process to create unique objects. Both the original object and the mould are often destroyed, and the scrupulously cast inanimate objects become artifacts of sorts, temporarily diverting focus from the object itself to the process of its making and evolution.

"Armanious‘s invocation of ancient forms and cultures, his embrace of a nearly alchemical transformation of one material into another, and his interest in incorporating the processes of making and displaying works of art into the sculptures themselves, underscore his desire to locate the mysterious within the mundane‖ says curator Anne Ellegood. ―By arguing that objects in our everyday life – leaf-blowers, vases, teapots, baskets, irons, window blinds, or even a cardboard Burger King crown – can carry as much visual pleasure, as much potential for beauty, as those things designed or deemed to be in the domain of aesthetics,.

The act of viewing is also central to Armanious‘ African Witch Doctor. A totemic form, the work consists of several stacked baskets and a single black ceramic teapot, which resembles a face oriented to gaze upon a small table placed on the floor below. The nod to ancient forms and practices found in African Witch Doctor is an underlying theme in much of Armanious‘ work. His invocation of ancient cultures and embrace of a nearly alchemical material transformation are inspired by his desire to locate the mysterious within the mundane. Armanious shows us that the objects that constitute our everyday experience—leaf-blowers, vases, teapots, baskets, window blinds, and even a cardboard Burger King crown—can carry as much visual pleasure, as much potential for beauty, as those things designed or deemed to be in the domain of aesthetics.
His work is an acknowledgement that there is more to this world than meets the eye.

Curatori : Anne Ellegood

Artisti : Hany Armanious

Web site:http://www.venise.pavillonfrancais.com/