About the Artwork

Sodi’s rocks are, for all intents and purposes, excerpts from the natural world transformed through a highly physical process. Extracting dried volcanic magma from the Ceboruco volcano in Mexico, and selecting each rock for its formal qualities, he glazes the brittle surface before firing the sculpture at extremely high temperatures for three days. Each stone, having been subjected to variable elements, such as atmospheric pressure, humidity and temperature, reacts in unique, sometimes destructive ways. By altering the surface texture and the context in which these rocks exist – in this case the streets of London – he reflects on our perception of value and antiquity. The artist creates an incongruity between the setting and the course, and the exterior and core, of each piece.

Year: 2012-2015


Courtesy of Studio Bosco Sodi and Blain|Southern. Photo: © Nick Turpin

Material

Ceramic glaze over volcanic rock

Dimensions

120 x 70 x 72 cm / 120 x 80 x 100 cm / 105 x 75 x 45 cm. 478 - 540 kg each

Artist Biography

Bosco Sodi

Bosco Sodi (b. 1970, Mexico City) is known for his richly textured, vividly colored large-scale paintings. Sodi has discovered an emotive power within the essential crudeness of the materials that he uses to execute his paintings. Focusing on material exploration, the creative gesture, and the spiritual connection between the artist and his work, Sodi seeks to transcend conceptual barriers. Sodi leaves many of his paintings untitled, with the intention of removing any predisposition or connection beyond the work’s immediate existence. The work itself becomes a memory and a relic symbolic of the artist’s conversation with the raw material that brought the painting into creation. Sodi currently lives between New York and Puerto Escondidio where he established the ‘Casa Wabi Foundation in 2014. His work is included in important public and private collections, such as Deutsche Bank Collection, De la Cruz Collection and Vitra Museum. Recent solo exhibitions include Bosco Sodi: Elemental, Museo Anahuacalli, Mexico City (2017); Yῡgen, Blain|Southern, London, UK (2016); En El Camino, Fundación Antonio Perez, Cuenca, Spain (2016), The Last Day, Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, USA (2014); Pangea, The Bronx Museum, New York, USA (2010).