LONDON.- As part of its special Artist-In-Residency programme, Saatchi Gallery is presenting two new multi-media installations by Cyril de Commarque and Kate Daudy.

Created as a response to Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, which will be displayed at Saatchi Gallery for six months from November to May 2020, both artists invite the viewer to contemplate notions of legacy and transition.

Artificialis takes as its starting point the Anthropocene era - the period when man first had an impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems - then looks towards the future, meditating on the effect technology and scientific advancement will have on humankind and the environment.

Says Commarque: ‘We are in essence no different to our earliest ancestors, but Artificial Intelligence has the power to shape us into a markedly different species. One consequence is that the mythologies that have defined us in the past will become obsolete, demanding new ones to replace them.’

The artist invites the viewer to contemplate this new world, starting with the notion that Homo Sapiens will be superseded by a species of its own creation, Homo Artificialis. Rather than portray this in Utopian or Dystopian terms, Commarque interrogates his own feelings through a series of sculptural mise-en-scènes, each piece documenting the transition from one age to another.

Located on the Gallery’s second floor, the installation includes sculptures placed around a carpet of multi-coloured flakes. The four figurative pieces are made from the crudest form of plastic waste, and in sync with the show’s themes have been created by the human hand with the assistance of robotic tools. The sculptures, which include two flower-shaped neons suspended from the ceiling, are standalone works however each is united by a common visual language.

The atmosphere is heightened by a sound work created by the artist in collaboration with Toni Castells, itself punctuated by the ignition of a stroboscopic light which randomly flickers into life. Meanwhile, Primitive, is displayed in an adjoining room. Carved from wood, it presents the destructive patterns of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Artificialis is accompanied by a programme of talks arranged by the artist.

Says Philippa Adams, Director, Saatchi Gallery: ‘Inviting Daudy and Commarque to be artist-in–residence at the Saatchi Gallery has led to two very exciting interventions. The programme set out to open discourses of the key themes of afterlife and existence explored in the story of King Tutankhamun. Both installations open a discourse on the nature of life, drawing on the past and looking into the future.’

Kate Daudy, It wasn’t that at all
Daudy’s multi-media exhibition, It Wasn’t That At All, explores the common interests we share as human beings. With a celebrated ability to immerse herself in the subject, Daudy has produced an installation that draws on her own reflections on home and identity, closeness to nature, faith, science and human mortality.

Over several months, Daudy has been researching Egyptology and engrossing herself in understanding the faith and traditions of Ancient Egypt. She has also been exploring contemporary surgery and ancient Egyptian medical beliefs and practices. Starting with a video wall of eyes staring out from phones and TV monitors, the multi-faceted installation immerses the viewer in a journey that explores themes common not just to the hastily buried 3,500 year old Tut, but to each of us today.