Fernando Mastrangelo


Fernando Mastrangelo is a Brooklyn-based contemporary artist. He received his M.F.A. in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, his B.F.A. from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and attended the Pilchuck Glass School. Mastrangelo became notable in the press for his use of controversial materials as in the case of "Felix", a sculpture made from cocaine and "La Salvamara", a series using the cremated ashes from the MS 13 Gang. In 2010, he gave a Ted Talk on the nature of art in the era of social networking, detailing the creative process behind "Al One" his collaboration with Napster founder Shawn Fanning. Mastrangelo is founder of a design firm, , that runs out of his Brooklyn studio.

Recent projects

"Avarice", Cast in imported white Mexican corn Avarice is an appropriation of the Aztec Sun Stone, the original considered one of Mexico's national symbols. Mastrangelo replaces sacral pictographs of the Aztec cosmology with imagery of corn production, corn products and the corporate elements involved as a commentary on the overproduction of maize by a subsidized agricultural sector in United States and its impact on the local population.
"Felix", Known for its use of narcotics as the main material for the sculpture, "Felix" discusses the "secret economy of illegal drugs, from production to consumption, and the antagonisms implicit in this trajectory." The piece deals with the specific case of cocaine, which epitomizes the socio-economic tension that he seeks to depict in the work: from the margins of the undeveloped world, through the toil of impoverished agricultural workers comes a drug whose chief connotation is luxury and expense.
"La Salvamara", took Mastrangelo to Los Angeles where he created a series of sculptures derived from the infamous gang's tattoos. Mastrangelo created relief sculptures and religious appropriations that were cast in human cremated ash and gunpowder. A feature-length documentary was filmed to capture the process of creating this series and is rumored to be completed in 2012.
"Al One" Furthermore, Mastrangelo worked on Al One where he collaborated with Napster founder Shawn Fanning on a sculptural installation addressing the increasing complexities of social networking.
"Fernando Mastrangelo Studio" In his new studio, Fernando re-contextualizes form and function once again, bringing together materials that fuse his minimalist aesthetic with deft ingenuity and craft. FMS strives to fuse sculpture and design in ways that are not found anywhere else in the market. The core of his practice is Form + Content + Materials.

Selected exhibitions

2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004