Wherever he goes
Cosimo Cavallaro seems to carry
controversy with him. This
New York sculptor is criticized for his
avant garde approach to art and
sculpture. Recently, Cavallaro has focused on the use of
cheese in his sculptures, famous already for covering the model,
Twiggy, in cheese; Cavallaro has now added a house to his list of cheese sculptures. When asked about his fixation with cheese, the artist simply replied "
It’s milk. It’s life."
Cavallaro was able to obtain permission to use a house in Powell, Wyoming for his sculpture. The house is to be demolished around the first of November. With the help of volunteers, Cavallaro obtained 10,000 pounds of cheese that had been declared inedible and melted it down. He then sprayed the melted cheese on the interior and exterior walls of the house. The mayor of Powell, Wyo. commented about the covered house: "The color gives it a nice texture."
The residents of Powell are less than thrilled about Cavallaro’s newest sculpture. They argue that it is a waste of food and will attract pests and rubbernecks to the quiet community. One resident commented about the work, "I don’t consider painting something with food art." In that quote lies the issue at hand: Is Cavallaro’s work art?
Cavallaro’s work is important because he is on the cutting edge of what he believes to be art. Even works like Christo’s "Running Fence" was first meet with controversy and skepticism. Today Christo’s pieces are considered groundbreaking works, heavily influencing sculptors of the twenty first century. Cavallaro may be on the verge of starting a revolution within the art community. On the other hand, it may just be a house covered in cheese. Only time, the public, and critics will be able to answer the question "Is Cavallaro’s work art?"
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/entertain/art/MGBQVG6DZSC.html