For the third rendition of Patrons of Park Avenue‘s (POPA) annual art installation along Park Avenue, comes “Travelers” by French sculptor, Bruno Catalano. “Travelers” is Catalano’s first major U.S. exhibition and it’s absolutely remarkable.
Commuters journeying along Park Avenue this spring will catch his fractured, figurative sculptures in the middle of their own journey from and to where we don’t know. The collection of bronze and marble sculptures has been a project Catalano has been working on since 1995. Some pieces have never been seen before until now!
To represent the “great emptiness that evokes the scars of departures and separations, identities fragmented by trials and tribulations, and shadowy areas in their self-image,” Catalano has notoriously constructed each figure with a portion of their body missing, creating a floating-like appearance.
In fact, the separation of material with open space that Catalano is known for was actually a happy mistake. According to POPA, a metal casting accident led to gap in a sculpture that’s since become his signature style.
Catalano also plays upon the human experience of travel, exile and flight. With packed luggage in hand, the artist expertly balances the juxtaposition of moving on to a new destination while being tied to one’s previous life and belongings.
“Travelers” can be viewed as a reflection of Catalano’s own life, being born into an Italian family in Morocco before moving to France, and later sailing around the world.
POPA encourages onlookers to heed Catalano’s choice of the textiles, folds and colors for each sculpture. He even dressed one figure in a recreation of his own clay-smattered apron.
đź“Ť Park Avenue