Artist Statement: This piano is more than an instrument — it is a living canvas of energy, memory, and transformation. I designed this piece to move from black and white into color, just like music itself. A piano begins in contrast - light and dark, silence and sound - but when an artist touches the keys, something extraordinary happens. Emotion enters. Story enters. Color enters. Each musician who sits at this piano brings their own shade, their own rhythm, their own truth. Like lyrics that gain meaning through the voice that carries them, this piano becomes more vibrant with every performance. At its heart, this piece tells the story of the birds of New York City — the true singers of the concrete jungle. In a city of steel, glass, and relentless motion, birds still rise above the noise. They adapt. They survive. They sing. Their songs echo between skyscrapers, blending nature with architecture, softness with structure. They are resilience in melody. The black and white foundation represents the city's raw structure — the pavement, the buildings, the fast pace. The explosion of color represents the unseen energy: the dreams, cultures, and creative spirits that live within it. Just like the birds, artists in this city take what is rigid and turn it into music. When someone sits at this piano, I want them to feel that pulse — the balance between strength and freedom, contrast and harmony. I want them to feel as if they are adding their own color to the city's song. This piano is not only played. It listens, it remembers, and it sings back.
Calicho Arévalo, known as Calicho Art, is a New York-based Colombian artist and architect who transitioned from building walls to breaking them. His work bridges the gap between structured design and emotional liberation, transforming the urban landscape into a canvas for the human spirit. His visual language is anchored by three-line stripes, representing the essential trinity of Body, Mind, and Soul. This architectural precision creates a grounding balance for his spontaneous doodles, harmonizing discipline with imagination. Through his signature "Wildlife Oxymorons," Calicho places migrating animals like whales into the concrete city, a metaphor for the immigrant experience and the "wild spirit" within urban routine. Ultimately, his art serves as a portal to find equilibrium between our instincts and the structured world. Driven by environmental stewardship, Calicho's work seeks to actively support wildlife conservation organizations, protecting the very species that inspire his vision.
