Travel is a central metaphor in the work of Salvatore Scarpitta. After constructing a series of racing cars in the 1960s, the artist continued his exploration of movement in the 1970s with his many works pairing sleds and canvases. Scarpitta handcrafted his sleds, mostly from found materials; his canvases are surplus medical cloths used in childbirth or surgery, to which the artist lent an uneven coloration by rubbing the backs with pigment and dipping them in resin.
Gallery label from Against the Grain: Contemporary Art from the Edward R. Broida Collection, May 3–July 10, 2006.