Italian sculptor Maurizio Cattelan interprets contemporary issues of power, death, and authority in artworks which border on the absurd. The emotional responses that his performances and installations elicit are made possible by the sensitive political, religious, and cultural allusions he appropriates as subject matter. In his subversion of propriety, Cattelan’s works often implicate the art world through a critique of its own institutions. … (read more)

Italian sculptor Maurizio Cattelan interprets contemporary issues of power, death, and authority in artworks which border on the absurd. The emotional responses that his performances and installations elicit are made possible by the sensitive political, religious, and cultural allusions he appropriates as subject matter. In his subversion of propriety, Cattelan’s works often implicate the art world through a critique of its own institutions.

When one asks why, Cattelan asks: why not? “My aim is to be as open and as incomprehensible as possible,” he explains to Sophie Arie, “There has to be a perfect balance between open and shut.” This balance is the paradoxical tragicomedy of Cattelan’s works, a mordant reflection of contemporary society.

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