Rocco Alberico
by NY Arts
Rocco Alberico’s sculpture was on view both in Chelsea and in Soho last month. Following are excerpts from the press statement for the Chelsea exhibiton.
All of Mr. Alberico�s sculptures are buildings: Cape Cod houses, cinderblock cubes, pinched churches and stunted skyscrapers (…)
One is invited to view each building from all four sides and peer through the doors, windows and stereoscopic viewers built into each piece. The interiors are strange dreamlike worlds that evoke such themes as Catholic Voodoo, martyrdom, purification and Fortean phenomena. (…)
According to Mr. Alberico, "My inspiration can come from anywhere: from things I read, see on TV or just observe in the course of a day or even when I’m traveling. They can be things that make me angry like the bombing of the World Trade Center or things that evoke a sense of awe like a visit to Mount Vesuvius in Italy or the meteor room at the Museum of Natural History. They can also be as mundane as a trip to a grocery store in Chinatown." (…) "I love folk art, outsider/visionary art and surrealism. I’m also strongly influenced by Caribbean art (especially Haitian) and African art. My fascination with religion, cults and strange belief systems pervade my work. I also love science and it’s evil twin pseudo-science."
