"In the lobby of the Bronx Museum of the Arts, right before the entrance to Forms of Connection, the seventh edition of the institution's biennial exhibition, there's a clutch of three men facing each other, engaged in animated conversation. They don't move or shift their focus when I approach. They won't, because they're life-size figures made of papier-mache, foam, and acrylic paint made by Piero Penizzotto to represent what the show's curators describe as "people he interacts with in everyday life.""
"I also see people like these men - all wearing a version of the urban youth uniform of sneakers, jeans, a hoodie, backpack, and baseball cap - daily. Penizzotto's "Big Brother Obii Knows Best (Ft. Freddy & Shawn)" (2025) is sincere and earnest in its depiction of people of color (one man is clearly Black, and the others read as ethnically Asian and Latin). Encountering this degree of racial diversity in New York City is typical."
The biennial presents life-size sculptures and mixed-media work that focus on everyday urban people, often depicting racial and ethnic diversity in ordinary attire. Piero Penizzotto's papier-mâché figures portray young city dwellers in sneakers, hoodies, and caps, rendered with sincerity and attention to real-life interactions. The works resist stereotypical portrayals that confine people of color to narratives of disadvantage, instead affirming presence and complexity in public life. Curatorial choices emphasize representation of groups often described as marginalized and prioritize images of ordinary activity over depictions tied solely to hardship. The exhibition includes varied media, from sculpture to collage.
Read at Hyperallergic
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