The Aesthetica Art Prize 2016 Countdown: 14 Days to Go – Sculpture

Today, there are two weeks left in the call for submissions for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2016.  The award aims to showcase cutting-edge practice from today’s ground-breaking contemporary artists. This year’s longlisted artists, published in Future Now which accompanied the exhibition, include Nathaniel Foley with his sculpture inspired by aviation and travel.

Foley is an instructor at Bowling Green State University and Owens Community College.  He received his MFA in sculpture from Miami University. His sculpture focuses primarily on aviation process, materials and language. His selected piece, F-111 Aardvark (2014) reflects his concern with the relationship between human existence and travel.

Foley believes that people have always desired to wander the universe, especially in ways we are not physically designed. The boundaries of existence on this planet have been significantly transformed in the last century as our yearning to defy earthly limitations via manned flight became a reality.

The artist communicates concepts rooted in aviation history through a visual language that references both travel and warfare by fabricating dynamic and iconic forms of flight. F-111 Aardvark consists of cones that are integrated with spires and held together under tension, supported by utilitarian containers (crates).

This fragile relationship of forms exposes the delicate balance between grace and imminent danger, similar to the fleeting ballet of courting birds or the hostility felt between foes in a dogfight. By referencing aeronautical shapes, the sculptures communicate tension and dance in direct opposition of fundamental forces.

The Aesthetica Art Prize is open for entries until 31 August 2015. For more information and to enter, visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize

To see more of Nathaniel Foley’s work visit www.nathanielfoley.com

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Credits
1. Nathaniel Foley,  F-111 Aardvark (2014). Courtesy of the artist.