Cosimo Cavallaro
born 1962, Montreal, Canada
works in New York, NY
Knot, 1996, sandblasted steel, 10 x 16 x 8', Lent by Sarah Schussel
Cosimo Cavallaro works in a variety of media, creating large-scale works that are intended to express, according to the artist, "the struggle between need and desire; the warm security of the womb and the chill uncertainty of the world." Though his works reflect his own personal emotions and events from his life, they are also meant to involve viewers by encouraging them to consider their own feelings.
Knot is a complex sculpture made of twisted sections of sandblasted steel tubes. The tubes are sealed at the ends and coated with a rust patina. Weighing 2,400 pounds, the intricately intertwined piece symbolizes the entanglement of human emotions and conveys a sense of confusion and an inability to resolve feelings or articulate thoughts. This effect is achieved through the transformation of an everyday form into a monumental structure, as well as by the unexpected weight and malleability of the massive steel tubing.
