Movement is central to Ciane Xavier’s latest solo presentation Construct and Deconstruct the Invisible Landscape. Framing the human body within the configuration of a landscape reinforces her idea of an externalized world through art. In Xavier’s own words, her sculptures, animatronics, and video works are “dissected experiences” representing the idiosyncrasies and concerns of an individual who is dealing with internal conflicts and the complex realities of existence.

In the process of constructing, she confronts and questions her identity and the sense of belonging. Her figurations fashion distinct features that embody the perceived self in its “true” form. She locates herself along the coordinates of cognition and emotion— terrains of her manifested landscapes. Xavier explores the body in motion by integrating technology with various mechanisms and artistic mediums: from the flatness of her moving images to the multidimensionality of her sculptures in assorted forms and proportions. The movements of her kinetic sculptures demonstrate varying degrees of dynamism and the restless energy for creation.

Her method of sculpture-making combines organic and synthetic materials to produce fragmented parts which she eventually assembles into one unit of sculptural composition. This becomes a metaphor for piecing parts of the self together and making sense of the seemingly cyclic tendencies of losing and gaining our identities. For Xavier, to deconstruct is to reject stereotypes or any pre-assigned identities that suppress one’s individuality. She is freeing herself from the social construct of having to own an identity.

“This is an invitation to both construct and deconstruct your own invisible landscapes, to make the invisible facets of your being visible, and to find freedom in that visibility.”

Words by James Luigi Tana