self-drawing skeleton by agelio batle sketches itself to 'death'

on a specially-designed, high-frequency vibrating table planted in the middle of san francisco’s jack fischer gallery lies a life-sized human skeleton made of solid graphite. artist agelio batle has carefully crafted ‘ash dancer’ to rest on a precisely-constructed paper countertop. as this violently-shaking surface rattles, the skeletal artwork leaves behind abstract, illustrated impressions of itself. as a result of the unrelenting vibration, the graphite bones slowly disintegrate in the process and will eventually disappear completely. 

ash dancer by agelio batle at jack fischer gallery
video by thesecreatives

on view from now through december 29th, 2016, agelio batle’s ‘ash dancer’ acts as a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. like an oversized pencil, the slowly-decomposing ‘ash dancer’ leaves traces of crystalline carbon on vellum paper. these large drawings — each completely unique — will be continuously generated throughout the lifespan of the skeleton, until it erodes completely, leaving a pile of dust at jack fischer gallery. the artwork probes questions about medium versus maker: is the graphite skeleton a tool, or the sculpture? are the graphite impressions drawings, or a map of its movement? who is really drawing?

the slowly-decomposing ‘ash dancer’ leaves traces of crystalline carbon on vellum paper
all images by luke abiol

the artwork sits on a specially-designed, high-frequency vibrating table 

the life-sized human skeleton is made of solid graphite

agelio batle has carefully crafted ‘ash dancer’ to rest on a precisely-constructed paper countertop

large drawings — each completely unique — will be continuously generated throughout the lifespan of the skeleton

the installation is on view from now through december 29th, 2016

the skeletal artwork leaves behind abstract, illustrated impressions of itself

the graphite bones slowly disintegrate in the process and will eventually disappear completely

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