Exploring the processes of artistic creation and presentation, Italian artist Giulio Paolini places his work in dialogue with time and history. He often refers directly to historical artworks to highlight connections between the past and the present. Playing on ideas of replication versus originality, Paolini has reproduced details of works by artists such as Diego Velázquez and Praxiteles, either deconstructing or reassembling particular elements. For example, Paolini’s plaster cast works recall Greco-Roman sculptures, appearing like marble statues but with key differences. He fragments specific parts of the body, such as torsos or legs, separating them with gaps between each of the components. In other plaster works, he duplicates figures, emphasizing repetition and juxtaposition. Whether adding or reducing, across his practice Paolini examines the act of exhibition and the moment of encountering the work.

–From the Glenstone Field Guide