ArtBeat: Abraham Ferraro’s “Art Course” @ the MarketPlace Gallery, 6/10/11

Envelope-pushing Nippertown artist-sculptor-inventor Abraham Ferraro presents his latest art event, “Art Course,” on Friday evening at the MarketPlace Gallery in Albany. The performance is slated to begin at 9pm.

Part obstacle course, part performance art and part adrenaline-induced smashing, kicking and punching, “Art Course” is based on Ferraro’s 20-plus years of pursuing his unique brand of sculpture, installation and performance art.

The first obstacle in “Art Course” begins with Ferraro kicking and smashing his way out of a four-by-four-foot solid drywall cube. The course continues with him climbing and breaking through a series of walls, jumping through barb wire hoops, descending ladders and taking several “Art Course”-induced face punches. The performance climaxes with Ferraro pushing a giant, oversized button revealing the true meaning of his work.

Here’s a quick video recap of one of Ferraro’s previous performances, “Knockout Artist”:

“My Art is about Art,” says Ferraro. “Through real sweat, my performance-installation work details the struggles, trials, and tribulations that artists undergo to create Art. I get burned, bruised, stabbed, sliced, broken, cut, smashed, ridiculed, punched, criticized and generally abused to bring my Art to life, and so what I suffer during the performance is a small price to pay…for the realization of my Art.”

Originally from Fredonia, Ferraro has exhibited his work locally, nationally and abroad. He earned an MFA in Sculpture from the University at Albany and currently teaches Sculpture at the College of St. Rose in Albany.