Bosco Sodi b. 1970
"Whether in painting, sculpture, or architecture, Sodi tries to respect the natural order of things. Call it a studied mindfulness, or a will toward simplicity. In either case the artist has taken many cues from Japanese philosophy and aesthetics, several of which—namely a zen impulse and an embrace of wabi sabi—are critical to his identity." —Matthew J. Abrams
Sodi mixes raw pigment with sawdust, wood, pulp, natural fibers, and glue to create the dense surfaces of his monochrome paintings. As the layers of material dry, structures form without the guidance or intervention of the artist. These fissured "landscapes" are both products of the artist's creative process and the unpredictable and chance in nature.
While Sodi creates his paintings in his studio in New York, his sculptural practice takes a wider turn toward the traditions of his Mexican heritage. At his studio in Oaxaca, he extracts raw earth from the ground and combines it with water and sand to form clay. He uses this elemental material, one of ancestral significance, to create minimalist sculptures. He shapes the clay with his hands to form smooth, solid cubes, which are left to dry in the sun prior to their firing in a kiln, hand-built from brick and coconut husks. During this process, the material transforms in hue and texture, infusing each cube with its own unique identity. Stacked into columns, the cubes both relate to one another and assert their individuality. More recently, Sodi began creating spheres by a similar process: the artist begins again by using his hands to shape wet balls of clay before leaving them to dry for four months in the shade and three months in the sun, later firing the works in a traditional kiln for sixteen to twenty-four hours.
Sodi collects solidified volcanic magma from the Ceboruco volcano in Mexico to make his rock sculptures. He covers these fragments of the natural world with ceramic glaze and precious metals. As they are fired, the volcanic rocks metamorphose into sculptural objects that unite geological processes with traditional and contemporary art-making techniques.
In 2022, the artist founded Assembly, a nonprofit exhibition venue in Monticello, New York. In 2013, he founded Fundación Casa Wabi near Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico, an arts center dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between international contemporary artists and local communities. Designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando, the foundation's headquarters hosts artist residencies and exhibitions, among other initiatives.
Museum exhibitions & Collections
Bosco Sodi has exhibited his work internationally and throughout the United States. Solo institutional exhibitions include Beyond Wilderness, He Art Museum, China (2024); Origen, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA (2023); What Goes Around Comes Around, organized by the Fondazione dell'Alberto d'Oro, Palazzo Vendramin Grimani in Venice, Italy (2022); Básico, University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, FL (2022); La fuerza del destino, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (2021); ergo sum, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain (2020); Por los siglos de los siglos, Museo Nacional de Arte, Mexico City (2017); and Pangea, The Bronx Museum, New York (2010). His work is in significant public and private collections worldwide including the JUMEX Collection, Mexico; the Contemporary Art Foundation, Japan; Harvard Art Museums, Massachusetts; Dallas Museum of Art, Texas; Nasher Sculpture Center, Texas; The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; Walker Art Center, Minnesota; Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Connecticut; the New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, among others.