John Descarfino

Statement:
This series of drawings reference maps as a way to chart relationships between two specific entities: a tomb and a birthmark. The earthwork titled “Cretto” by Alberto Burri covers the earthquake-destroyed town of Gibellina, Sicily, within the region of my ancestral home. Graphite rubbings of the concrete within the “Cretto” melded with my birthmark embody qualities of documentation and absence. The contours of my birthmark were traced and transferred over the rubbings in a labor intensive process of marking time. An island form emerged as I intuitively worked between the birthmark and the tombstone, exploring the syntax of line, mark, and tonality to develop a visually poetic terrain. John Descarfino
2009
Graphite on paper
Each drawing is 8 1?4 x 11 3?4” inches.
Overall dimensions: 8 1?4 x 58 3?4” inches.

SELECTED BIO:

John Descarfino received his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and his MFA from Hunter College, CUNY. He is currently an Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing at Kingsborough, CUNY. He has had solo exhibitions at the Lucas Schoormans Gallery in New York City and has been included in group exhibitions at the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX; Blum and Poe Gallery, Santa Monica, CA; Galeria Espacio48, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and the Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts.

For more information, please contact John at descarfino@gmail.com