All Things Italian

Remember when you made art with dried pasta in grade school? Who could forget necklaces made of elbow macaroni or Christmas wreaths made of fusilli, ziti, and bowtie pasta. Little did you know, you were making a statement about womanhood in Italian-American families. Artist Lisa Venditelli took ingredients that epitomized Italian cooking and make them the medium for her art. Woven fettucini became an aging tapestry of the Virgin Mary; sausage casings and lace became a dress form; and layers of lasagne became a shoe. It is as if by using all things Italians, she was deconstructing stereotypes and icons. I never knew pasta could be so profound! Now, if the pasta was cooked, it would be performance art.

Currently showing at Museum of Contemporary Art through October 7.