Cosimo Cavallaro was born in Montreal in 1961 to Italian immigrant parents and grew up between Canada and Italy. A formative moment in his childhood came when, after asking his mother for a toy owned by other neighborhood children, she told him to draw it until it became real, only then could he have it. This early lesson, that an image or amorphous material could achieve a reality more powerful than the object itself, became a guiding principle in his work.
He studied art at Dawson College and Concordia University in Montreal, where he was mentored by painter Gerald Roach, who invited him to paint alongside him in Nova Scotia. Shortly after, Cavallaro began working in the art departments of feature films, collaborating with director Max Fischer (The Lucky Star) and later serving as art director on several productions. By 1984, he transitioned into directing commercial television, working with Boardwalk Pictures, cinematographer Derek Vanlint, and various production companies across Canada, Europe, and the United States. He later founded Figaro Films in Montreal. During his directing career, Cavallaro received numerous honors, including the Juno Award for Best Music Video, the BESSIE Award, the Gold Cox International Advertising Award, and a Governor General’s Award.
In 1995, Cavallaro relocated to New York City, where he turned his focus primarily to visual art and began creating sculptures and installations with perishable materials. His work quickly attracted international attention, receiving media coverage from CNN, CBC, BBC, CBS, CNBC, FOX, NBC, and PBS, and appearing in art, academic, religious, and pop-culture publications worldwide.
Cavallaro is known for his provocative and inventive installations, often using chocolate, cheese, or other perishable substances. Notable works include My Sweet Lord, a life-size chocolate sculpture of Jesus; Hotel Room 114, a New York hotel room covered with 5,000 pounds of melted Swiss cheese; The Wyoming Cheese House, coated inside and out with pepper jack cheese; and Twiggy in Cheese, a performance installation featuring the model Twiggy. This Is Not A Wall at the U.S., Mexico border, constructed from hundreds of Cotija cheese blocks as a commentary on barriers, later became the subject of a legal dispute. In 2020, Cavallaro filed a lawsuit under the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) against SLSCO Ltd. and associated parties after the installation was destroyed, asserting that the demolition violated his moral rights and deprived him of the ability to complete and exhibit the work. Other works include large-scale, playful public sculptures such as Love Your Bean / Jelly Bean Sculptures in Vancouver and West Hollywood, as well as installations like Candy Chair, Ketchup Room, and Absolute Pressed Ham Bed.
His work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, and public art festivals across North America and internationally, including the Wilhelm-Morgner-Haus in Germany, the Vancouver Biennial / Open Air Museum, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum in Ohio, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts, Lumiere in St. Louis, Real Art Ways in Connecticut, and the Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Illinois.
In addition to his visual art practice, Cavallaro has written five feature-length screenplays and one television series currently in development, including The Killer’s Dance, Slap, Magic Melody, Jesus Is Where?, Gun Down, and Jimmy Can Do.