“No chains will ever hold that” on display through May 15 in Rochester, NY
Rochester, NY (April 24, 2017) – Rochester artists Larry Moss and Kelly Cheatle of Airigami™ (“the fine art of folding air”) are internationally renowned for their incredible, inflatable installations, whether it’s a giant Acrocanthosaurus for the Virginia Museum of Natural History, the world’s first piloted balloon sculpture (Fantastic Flying Octopus), or their current multi-sculpture build in Qatar’s newest and largest destination: Doha Festival City.
Earlier this month, though, Moss and Cheatle created their first personal project to be installed in a contemporary art setting. As part of the Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s current It’s Not Funny exhibition (featuring artists who explore the serious side of toys and play), the duo has created a multi-media sculpture entitled “No chains will ever hold that.” Made with Airigami’s signature medium – balloons – as well as polymer clay, foam, paper and other materials, the piece could be described as a three-dimensional political cartoon. Named after a quote from King Kong, it depicts a wildly coiffed, tiny-handed, orange figure in an ill-fitting suit scaling the Capital dome, clutching the Statue of Freedom atop the dome, while fighting off paper planes made from copies of the U.S. Constitution.
“Our medium is one that is accessible to everyone. Inclusion and youth have long been our focus, yet there are some ideas and political/social concerns that we’ve wanted to address with a more serious tone,” explains Moss, founder and creative director of Airigami.
Throughout the years, Airigami has faced a significant amount of bias from the traditional art world for its chosen medium. Gently challenging that preconceived notion of what art is was one reason for its world-renowned 2009 Masterworks series that parodies iconic masterpieces by Da Vinci, Warhol, Pollack and more. “No chains will ever hold that” was motivated by an even more personal and powerful agenda.
“This installation is a huge departure and has given us the opportunity to react to events that we are deeply concerned about,” adds Airigami Artistic Director Kelly Cheatle.
High-resolution photos of “No chains will ever hold that” are available via this link.
More about Airigami: Airigami Founder & Creative Director Larry Moss began his career 30 years ago as a New York City street performer. He and Airigami Artistic Director Kelly Cheatle have gone on to thrill hundreds of thousands with their amazing air-filled art in more than a dozen countries on four continents. Their achievements have been recognized by The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, CNN Headline News, PBS, NPR, Smithsonian Magazine, American Profile, Cabinet and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Airigami has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, NBC’s Today show, ABC’s Good Morning America, and at the White House three times. Their work has earned two Guinness World Records.