2008 Woodie Awards
New York art exhibit features chocolate Jesus
U-Wire
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Features
(U-WIRE) - After working for three straight days and nights, pushing deadline, he was finally done. He prayed his creation would have no cracks or cavities. And on that third day, artist Cosimo Cavallaro opened the mold and revealed his creation: a six-foot tall, naked chocolate Jesus.
On Saturday, Cavallaro opened his newest exhibit, "Chocolate Saints ... Sweet Jesus," at The Proposition gallery in Chelsea, N.Y. The exhibit showcased eight miniature chocolate saints in addition to the chocolate Jesus.
But the sculpture went through a long journey to get to its display: It was turned away from one exhibit, eaten by rats in storage and rebuilt at the last second by Cavallaro.
Originally, chocolate Jesus was a gift to the church. After lengthy negotiations, Cavallaro kept his gift because it wasn't going to be displayed in the actual room where worship takes place.
Going a different route, Cavallaro tried to showcase the chocolate Jesus at the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan last March. However, the exhibit was pulled at the last minute when the gallery received resistance from the Catholic League and numerous bomb threats from unknown parties. Ronald Sosinski, The Proposition gallery director, said displaying a "naked Jesus on Good Friday was blasphemous."
Discouraged by his failed opening, Cavallaro still wanted to show his Jesus somewhere. After waiting for the buzz around the exhibit to diminish, he finally revealed chocolate Jesus to the public to coincide with All Saints Day. Cavallaro said he used an edible medium because it creates awareness of the art's life span, and people have to enjoy it while it lasts, like life itself.
On Saturday, Cavallaro opened his newest exhibit, "Chocolate Saints ... Sweet Jesus," at The Proposition gallery in Chelsea, N.Y. The exhibit showcased eight miniature chocolate saints in addition to the chocolate Jesus.
But the sculpture went through a long journey to get to its display: It was turned away from one exhibit, eaten by rats in storage and rebuilt at the last second by Cavallaro.
Originally, chocolate Jesus was a gift to the church. After lengthy negotiations, Cavallaro kept his gift because it wasn't going to be displayed in the actual room where worship takes place.
Going a different route, Cavallaro tried to showcase the chocolate Jesus at the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan last March. However, the exhibit was pulled at the last minute when the gallery received resistance from the Catholic League and numerous bomb threats from unknown parties. Ronald Sosinski, The Proposition gallery director, said displaying a "naked Jesus on Good Friday was blasphemous."
Discouraged by his failed opening, Cavallaro still wanted to show his Jesus somewhere. After waiting for the buzz around the exhibit to diminish, he finally revealed chocolate Jesus to the public to coincide with All Saints Day. Cavallaro said he used an edible medium because it creates awareness of the art's life span, and people have to enjoy it while it lasts, like life itself.
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