CHRISTIAN CALABRO

Originally from Zurich, Calabrò came to New York City to study graphic design and his talent immediately landed him employment at Atlantic, Verve, and Warner Records – among many others. The fiercely competitive market pushed him to refine every last detail of album cover art for musical giants like Tony Bennett, Rage Against the Machine, and Depeche Mode. His design work even earned him two Grammy nominations, but he also watched up close as the recording industry convulsed and sales plunged. 

Witnessing these changes, Calabrò was gripped by a need to move away from the computer and use his hands again. He scavenged weathered music posters from city walls all over the world in an almost archeological way of remembering. Drawn to a face or a font, he would tug at an aging corner and see what came off. Then he started to experiment with applying these little scraps of history to surfaces.

Calabrò layers his torn treasures sometimes 20 or 30 strips deep before again peeling them away. It’s a process of obscuring and rediscovering that he then articulates further using charcoal or acrylic.

CHRISTIAN CALABRO

Originally from Zurich, Calabrò came to New York City to study graphic design and his talent immediately landed him employment at Atlantic, Verve, and Warner Records – among many others. The fiercely competitive market pushed him to refine every last detail of album cover art for musical giants like Tony Bennett, Rage Against the Machine, and Depeche Mode. His design work even earned him two Grammy nominations, but he also watched up close as the recording industry convulsed and sales plunged. 

Witnessing these changes, Calabrò was gripped by a need to move away from the computer and use his hands again. He scavenged weathered music posters from city walls all over the world in an almost archeological way of remembering. Drawn to a face or a font, he would tug at an aging corner and see what came off. Then he started to experiment with applying these little scraps of history to surfaces.

Calabrò layers his torn treasures sometimes 20 or 30 strips deep before again peeling them away. It’s a process of obscuring and rediscovering that he then articulates further using charcoal or acrylic.