Invited artist: DAVID D'OSTILLIO
Treasure Map
3D print
For the 24 hours of Wonder exhibition, the artwork I have created is titled Treasure Map (the odyssey). When I was thinking of a moment of record from the past year, I thought of drawing games I played with my sons. We drew many treasure maps, thinking of different creatures and obstacles to avoid on the journey to the treasure. The adventures comprised a combination of fan fiction and mythological study. The boys thought of animals and monsters, characters from cartoons and childrens books. I looked to pirate stories and the odyssey to work in classical elements into our play.
The ocean, and ship come from our interest in pirate stories. Looking at old maps we saw dragons and sea monsters, which became a feature of our tale. The ship I chose rose from the boy's interest in galleons from the book Stephen Beasty’s cross sections. To incorporate my boys in the work their profiles became the coastline of the islands. The cyclops in the work is inspired by Polyphemus from the Odyssey.
Another nuance in the development of this work is my concurrent investigation of NFT’s. I have created an edition of this work as an NFT. I found the treasure map a fitting theme for the NFT. NFT artwork is a direct connection of the art to its authenticity and financial records. NFT’s are seen as an exploding market. Cryptocurrency is mined, it is volatile fast cash. A modern day gold rush. Our generations search for buried treasure. It is buried in the code of the internet which is the ocean of the new digital world.
David D’Ostilio was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He received his BA from Moravian College and his MFA from William Paterson University. One of David’s early artistic influences was his grandfather, Dominick D'Ostilio, a naturalist and wildlife painter. This inspired David’s interest in nature, science and art. Conceptual art and eco art become later influences on his work. The combination in these foundations with an exploration of digital production methods has led David’s practice to continue expanding methods, subject matter, and materials.
During this period of exploration and study David’s work transforms. An examination of the self with focus on identity, technology, and ecology emerges as the center of David’s practice. These three themes encapsulate what it is to be in our time period. Who are we in light of what technology can do and how we rely on it. And how does our relationship with technology affect our relationship with the environment? David’s incorporation of technology utilizes 3D printing and robotic milling. This bridging of new technology and ancient processes became a material and conceptual foundation for David’s work. When preparing to become a father, David incorporated this life event into the concept and narrative of his work.
David has exhibited internationally including shows in Florence, Venice, and London as well as throughout the United States. His works are held in both public and private collections. David has received grants from Autodesk for the digital stone project, and from the Arts Council of Rockland in support of Myth Forms. In Addition David recently was the leader of a workshop on Robotic wood sculptures. David Currently lives in Rockland County with his wife and children.