RIP Carlucci Bencivenga

Frank151 would like to send its condolences to the friends and family of Carlucci Bencivenga, aka Elf One MPC, who passed away on September 3, 2007. Carlucci was a brilliant artist, creative genius, and Lower East Side fixture. Below you will find a video art piece that he starred in and helped to conceptualize – Conjuring Elf

An active member of Cap One’s Morris Park Crew, Carlucci first made himself known to the New York public at large while rocking subway trains under the pseudonym Elf One. Some of his classic graffiti art can be seen in this posting on 12ozProphet.com. Carlucci would soon move into other mediums--creating conceptual art, working in video, making jewelry, building sculptures, and painting for canvas, along with becoming a curator and producing numerous art shows. The last show he curated, Make Art Not War featured over 60 artists, and was a perfect example of what Carlucci was all about – using art to bring the community together. He leaves behind an amazing body of work, which will not soon be forgotten. It was an honor to have the chance to work with this creative mastermind. Anytime you engaged him in a conversation, you knew you were in for an intellectual roller coaster. Equally educated in street knowledge and academia, Carlucci would share classic stories about his adventures bombing trains, and the next minute he would be referencing an Existentialist philosophy. When you spoke to Carlucci you were always guaranteed to walk away enlightened.  Always a character, a friend shared a story with us about a recent encounter with Carlucci this past summer. Our friend was siting down eating at the popular downtown brunch spot Clinton Street Bakery when Carlucci strolled in to use the bathroom. Carlucci had been curating a pop-up art show down the block, and Clinton Street Bakery would support the show by providing meals and letting him use the facilities on occasion. As he exited the restaurant and walked past our friend’s table, Carlucci stopped for a moment to say good bye, held up his arm and then shot a fireball out of his hand. Other restaurant goers gasped, but those who knew him just laughed. It was classic Carlucci Bencivenga, he always had a trick up his sleeve. Here we remember Carlluci with the artwork he did for Frank Book 21, the Italian Chapter. A master of many mediums, Carlucci working under his alias elf MPC would use collage to document the concept of the Italian superstitious charms known as Maloccios. Rest In Power