At the base of the Great Lawn at Montalvo once sat four statues atop pedestals, referencing the four seasons. Today, the fourth pedestal is empty, its statue likely destroyed in a past earthquake. The remaining trinity are often likened to the Three Graces of Greek mythology—minor goddesses representing beauty, charm, and creativity. Situated on that vacant pedestal, RoCoCo imagines the addition not of a fourth season, but of a fourth Grace — Forgiveness, The Misplaced Grace. By filling the empty pedestal and reinterpreting the sculptures, “forgiveness” is elevated to the level of a Grace, dignifying our humanity in a way that the classical Graces cannot. Just as there is a missing statue, forgiveness seems to be missing in our daily discourse, difficult to attain in an often-graceless world.
In developing this work, RoCoCo asked: What does forgiveness look like? The form and materials of this sculpture explore the structure of forgiveness, suggesting that the process starts heavy, dark, uneven, and awkward. Layer by layer, it is gradually refined to a lighter, more transparent and reflective condition, until it achieves a state of grace. With this work, a revival of grace is envisioned, and the cultivation of a season of compassion.
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Meet the Artists
ROCOCO
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The collaborative duo known as RoCoCo is comprised of KC Rosenberg and Modesto Covarrubias. These interdisciplinary artists describe their practice as a dialog of making, and they are interested in the juxtaposition of materials and response to space (architectural and natural) in their exploration of complex emotional states, social justice, and contemporary culture. RoCoCo’s work most often takes form through sculptural installations, but has also included video, performance, drawing, painting, and audience participation. RoCoCo presented their work as featured speakers at the Studio Art Quilt Associates Conference: Threads of Innovation, at the Hilton San Jose in 2019; was featured in the September 2018 issue of Oakland Magazine, and were Artists-in-Residence at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles from October through December 2017. RoCoCo is short for Rosenberg Covarrubias Collaborations (or collaborative, conspirators, conversations, corporation, coalition, commentators, co-editors, collective, cohorts, you get the idea…).
In the News
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By Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News - Montalvo Arts Center Presents “Threads: Weaving Humanity”
By Bay Area Arts Info, Patch Contributor