ArtZone 461 Gallery presents “Heads and Tales,” an exhibition of unique works in two and three dimensions by Filipino-American artist Agelio Batle.  This show features one-of-a-kind graphite-on-panel “paintings” and metal sculptures of welded wire construction referencing heads.  Based in San Francisco, Batle enjoys international recognition for his limited edition graphite writing instruments.  A selection of the completed limited edition objects will also be on display.

Batle works with carbonaceous graphite, the mineral remains of prehistoric life.  He combines ancient materials with new technologies.  He developed a (proprietary) method to suspend graphite in a matrix that allows him to work with it in both solid and liquid forms.  The Artist explains: “Working in the studio, one experiment led to another; finally I had a kind of globular “paint” using graphite.  It is not easy to work with, but this new medium is the perfect material to express the unwieldy and strange images I knew were inside of me.  I start with a few drips, suddenly I’ll see the edge of a face or body, then I’ll continue to work to allow it to emerge”.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and a Master’s in Fine Arts, Batle has solid knowledge of the physical structure of his materials.  Whereas the paintings are consistent with the flat crystalline structure of carbon that forms graphite, the arrangement in the sculptures are similar to the carbon structure that forms Diamonds.  An intricate network of interconnected polygons gives shape to this new, provocative series of  “Untitled Heads.”

Both sculptural and “painted” representations of human form reveal muscle, organs, tissue layers, even the folding of the brain.  Interconnected patterns and textures reference issues of identity and individuality.  Batle tells us:  “These strange figures are not unlike ourselves.  Just as we are a result of our environment, so are these beings.”

“Heads and Tales” is Agelio Batle’s first solo show at ArtZone 461 Gallery and the first time his metal sculptures are being shown in the United States.  Please visit our website for more, and fascinating, information about graphite as a medium and its’ properties.