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

Bosco Sodi is known for his use of raw, natural materials to create large-scale textured paintings and sculptures. Finding beauty in states of impermanence and imperfection, his practice involves setting conditions under which his works come into being, acting as a catalyst for the work to develop.

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.