Mattia Biagi, known for his work in tar covered objects, changes course in this series to explore a more direct, tactile, raw exploration of material and form. Rather than covering objects, these works are created from primal dust and gesture, nothingness formed into being. Hands can’t touch hot tar, but by working in raw plaster, Biagi is able to create form directly by sculpting it, representing a return to the body’s expressiveness and the desire to create meaning and being from one’s own hands.

Fellini is a recurring inspiration for Biagi, and like Fellini, underneath the formal veneer of society lies something much more primal, something more raw and psychologically transformative. It’s only through the stripping away of society’s veneer and rebuilding the self and world from the dust that’s left that we truly create unique expression, unique forms, and a unique existence. The works in the series are the result of these transformative processes. While some works remain raw and spontaneous, others are smoothed and sensually refined. All of them represent the process and promise of transformation through gesture and touch, the formation of being from dust.