Imperfect circle 2013

Jose Davila’s sculpture is an incomplete circle made of joined, painted metal bars. The circle, historically, has been charged with symbolism: it can be perfection, wholeness, and eternity, often representing the cyclical nature of life and time. Consider Giotto’s perfect circle drawn freehand, a symbol of his skill and divine inspiration. Davila seems to subvert this ideal. He presents us not with perfection, but with an almost-circle, a gesture towards an ideal that remains tantalizingly out of reach. The imperfection and the use of industrial materials evokes tension. The piece feels like an attempt to reconcile the ancient longing for completion with the fractured realities of the modern world. The enduring power of symbols lies in their ability to evoke deep emotional and psychological responses. The almost-circle pulls at our subconscious, reminding us of our innate desire for wholeness and the poignant awareness of our perpetual incompleteness.