Don Porcaro

Artist’s Statement

My work over time has consistently explored the nature of human interaction with the physical world through architecture and man-made objects. Tools, utensils, buildings and machines eventually become artifacts, archaeological sites and cultural signifiers. I have also been inspired by the whimsical possibilities inherent in animation and contemporary culture, from Japanese anime to the satirical figures of late Guston, which stand at the cusp of what I refer to as “the monster and the child,” something purely fictional and innocent that informs our youthful imagination.

My most current series entitled Talismans brings together many of these interests, with a focus on totemic iconography and the human form through stacked layers of limestone and marble. This layering alludes to the passing of geological time as well as cultural history, while the feet firmly place the sculptural form in the realm of abstracted figuration. Finally, the ornamental brass elements adorn the “heads,” making up a complex array of visual associations that bring to mind everything from Middle Eastern hookahs to Venetian perfume atomizers, Buddhist stupas and African jewelry.

Don Porcaro is a New York based artist and Professor of Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design. His work has been exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad including solo shows in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Atlanta, and Nashville. A 10-year survey of his work has traveled from the University of Florida, Gainesville to the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota. He has also had museum shows at the Dorsky Museum of Art in New Paltz, NY, the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA, and The Visual Arts Center of New Jersey in Summit, NJ.