Knowledge Of The Body is an audiovisual artwork by Mattia Casalegno, which explores body aesthetics and its relation to contemporaneity.

Inspired by the Italian neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova, Casalegno deals with the idea of beauty and the fallacy of the presumed superiority of man and machine over nature. The work is the second series inspired by Canova following on from his first collection on Sedition, What It Takes To Be A Body.

Using photogrammetry, a technique used in archeology, parts of the statues of Canova on display at the north Italian town of Bassano del Grappa’s Civic Museum were digitally scanned and further elaborated upon. Modified using CGI animation the work presents glossy futuristic car details intermingled with body parts of the statues. The video is complemented by an original soundtrack by Martux_M crew.

Knowledge Of The Body is presented as a large-scale site-specific installation and 3D printed sculptures from 6 May–25 June 2017 at the Chiesetta dell’Angelo in the historical town of Bassano del Grappa in Italy.