Co.Lab Gallery presents

DAVE MANCUSO

ARTIST | TREE

EXHIBITION OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 18, 7-10PM

Show Closes July 24th

ARTIST/TREE is a collection of wood-based works by Dave Mancuso that investigates the visual rhythms of nature and the places where those rhythms begin to unravel. Spanning painting, carving, laser engraving, and tattoo design, the exhibition explores the tension between order and chaos, growth and decay, the natural and the constructed.

At the heart of this work lies an enduring fascination with the patterns found in nature—tree rings, pinecones, blooming flowers—structures that seem simultaneously intentional and spontaneous. Mancuso is equally captivated by the moments when those patterns break down: where symmetry gives way to disruption, where entropy sets in, and where imperfection becomes expressive.

“I return again and again to the idea of natural repetition—fractal-like forms that suggest both logic and randomness,” he explains. “But it’s the breaking of those patterns that excites me most. That shift from structure to spontaneity is where my work feels most alive.”

Skulls recur throughout the exhibition as a visual anchor. Rather than symbols of death, they represent a shared biological structure—a reminder of what connects all living things beneath the surface.

Mancuso’s process is fluid and interdisciplinary: a carved shape might inspire a painting; a painting might evolve into a tattoo or laser engraving. This overlap between mediums reflects both the intuitive nature of his practice and his drive to follow ideas across formats.

Ultimately, ARTIST/TREE is a meditation on balance—between freedom and focus, repetition and disruption, the organic and the engineered. The work invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with the natural world and to find resonance in its unpredictability.