archaeology of consciousness: de cotiis reimagines archways at carpenters workshop gallery

Carpenters workshop gallery presents vincenzo de cotiis

Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London is currently hosting an exhibition titled Archaeology of Consciousness, featuring the sculptural creations of Vincenzo De Cotiis. The exhibition, which runs from October 10, 2023, to January 28, 2024, highlights the artist’s fondness for reimagining archways using a variety of materials, including rare stones, recycled fiberglass, and Murano glass, all crafted through a process of reclamation. Throughout his career, De Cotiis has maintained a recurring fascination with arches, symbolizing their enduring significance within architectural history. His work challenges the ancient connotations typically associated with arches, offering fresh perspectives on these iconic vaulted forms. In his own words, De Cotiis explains, ‘Arches symbolize transitions, a concept that extends beyond the mere human and earthly to encompass the ancestral. In today’s context, such transitions, which resonate with both the past and the future, are especially pertinent.’

all images by Vincenzo De Cotiis, exhibition views at Carpenters Workshop Gallery. Archaeology of Consciousness. Courtesy of Benjamin Baccarani, unless stated otherwise

Exploring De Cotiis’s Artistic Vision

De Cotiis further elaborates on his creative process, noting that the arch embodies qualities such as perfection, strength, and the capacity to bear structures, making it not only a functional entity but also a sculptural, and decorative architectural feature. Their allure has traveled for many hundreds of years in different places and cultural eras, like ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Italy and the Islamic world. The sculptures exhibited at Carpenters Workshop Gallery (see more here) undergo a deliberate distortion and transformation, challenging the long-held and unquestioned connotations associated with archways. Presented within a contemporary ruin setting, these sculptures themselves appear as new ruins, resembling artifacts made of stone, fiberglass, glass, and metal, evoking a sense of future archaeology. As Vincenzo De Cotiis states, ‘Archaeology of Consciousness is a collection positioned as a journey through time. It demonstrates a rediscovery of the past, an excavation of forms and structures uncovered from the sediments of history, and a projection of classical elements and contemporary concepts into the future.’ Loic Le Gaillard comments on the exhibition, acknowledging De Cotiis’ mastery as a sculptor and his ability to challenge traditional meanings of archways within a contemporary context. ‘The combination of black onyx and hand-patinated fibreglass gives the sculptures a sense of temporal decay, which creates a unique interplay between past and future in the works.’