I just wanted to make sure and send proper condolences to the parents, friends and family of Carlucci Bencivenga, aka Elf One MPC. He was a famous and wonderful artist from the Bronx, his work has inspired more people that we’ll probably ever know, but thousands upon thousands that we DO actually know. He passed away on September 3, 2007. R.I.P.
Elf’s work…
Elf in action!!!
Portrait in honor of Carlucci, at Howl festival yesterday…
Carlucci’s parents. I spoke with them yesterday at the Howl festival. <3
We’ll miss you, Elf.
TO ONE AND ALL THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT I KNOW IN MY HEART THAT CARLUCCI WAS HONORED AS WE WERE. LOVE & RESPECT CARL & THERESA
my thoughts and prayers go out to joe and his mom and dad. r.i.p carl. you will always be rembered.
Nicias said: Whatever does not kill us will make us stronger.
ODE TO CARLUCCI
He was a difficult child. Difficult in the sense that he defied conventionality. He loathed the prospect of being ordinary since it was alien to the complexity of his physiology.
It was a constant struggle to be unique in a world of homogeneous people who only see things on one level. Carlucci pushed, kicked and raged against the prospect of being ordinary beyond the normal perimeters and then some. The simple truth is that he was an extraordinary human being. He shaped, prodded, manipulated an idea until it was his own—always original and ideally “Carlucci”.
One of the gifts that God bestowed on Carlucci was the uncanny ability to breathe life into inanimate objects. Whatever medium he chose, from inception to execution, the end result was nothing short of spectacular. I believe that it was also a curse because of the relentless need to create screaming to break through until it was sated.
Carlucci believed that we were all here to teach and help one another. Through his art he would make a difference, and he must use this gift. He rose to the challenge and achieved and excelled beyond even his own high expectations.
I always worried about my “starving artist” son, but Carlucci did not consider material wealth a priority. “You can’t take it with you”, he reminded me numerous times. A passage in the bible, Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verse 15: Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb and as he comes so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.
It doesn’t surprise me that people whom I did not know personally have stated how Carlucci enriched their lives by his kindness and unconditional friendship.
A phrase I have heard over and over is that he was loved and respected. How many people in their entire lifetime can achieve those qualities?
What legacy has Carlucci left behind? He was special in every aspect; totally, irrevocably and unabashedly unique, blessed and treasured in every way possible.
He is my child, he is your child, he is everyone’s child, forever and ever in our hearts. His art is bigger than life itself vibrating like the sound of thunder in the sky, Carlucci and art as one.
All my love, Mom
That was beautiful. It was lovely to meet you at the Howl festival, albeit under less than favorable conditions. I’m sure you’ve gotten lots of support from friends, family and fans, but as I’m sure a thousand other people have said…if there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Love, Erica
Carlucci was one of the first friends that I made in Manhattan. I’d stayed with a friend of a friend in the Stanton St. apartment when I traveled to Manhattan to sit in on a COBRA session at the Factory and he was one of the room mates(I remember him asking who this “slug” was sleeping on his floor). We soon became friends and I stayed with him often when I’d come to NYC for rehearsals and ‘working’ holidays. We would sometimes visit his studio in his parents’ Bronx home. We would go for pierogies at Odessa with his brother and sometimes hit the Papaya King for hot dogs and apple juice. He performed COBRA with me at The University of the Arts and at an Old City gallery scaring some of the musicians because his instruments of choice were broken (breaking) glass and cutlery. We stayed in contact over the past few years via poetic post cards and cryptic e-mail for which we both seemed to have an appreciation. He visited Philadelphia and caught a flat in his dark Maroon Oldsmobile–we drove 20 blocks on a rim down the middle of Walnut St. to get it changed because the spare was flat too. Carlucci was a good friend and a dedicated artist. He refused to let me be complacent. He convinced me that my art and my ability did not belong to me and that it was my duty to share it, to give it away.
I’m not quite sure how I’m dealing with his loss yet.
When I figure that out, I probably won’t let you know.
I’ll probably
create something and
learn something and
enjoy something.
I think of Carlucci daily. All my best to his Mother, Father, and brother.
Carlucci was such a beautiful, gentle, exciting person. He shared everything in his being & lived to create & explore. It was an inspiration to be a part of his life; he was so open with his ideas, his freinds, his creativity. I watched so many people laugh & smile & become inspired in his presence. I have so many memories of playing with the toys/artwork all over his apartment, of going out with him as a walking work of art, of eating samosas on the cold winter streets, listening to records while it snowed & he sketched things on peices of wood or paper we had found in the street…he was unforgettable. More people should live like that, with the heart of a child & the mind of a genius. I ran away one day & never got to tell him a proper goodbye, I always just thought that when I made it back to the city, he would be there in his curios of an apartment….no matter what happened to the rest of the city, I figured Carlucci would be there, he was his own institution. He will be more than missed, by his hundreds of true freinds, by fans the world over & by everyone in the chaging lower east side where his presence inspired so many. The world will be a little less interesting without carlucci, but he has left us with food for thought& there is no doubt that he is in peace now. He loved his community, his life & he served the purposes he believed in, but the world’s not always so easy for genius to survive in. He was always an angel anyhow, sometimes I could practically see his wings & halo, even with a lampshade or a monster mask on his head:)I love you Carlucci. I missed you already & think of you all the time. You are an inspiration & will be missed greatly.
Carlucci was an open book; there was no lie in him. Yesterday, it finally hit me that he has moved on. Our loss is heaven’s gain. For those of us that were nurtured, taught, inspired by him, let’s take his example and pass it on.
Carl was a true friend, he was a good man, and brought light to others without looking 4 reciprocation. He left the world a little better than when he found it.He was true to his own nature without hurting others.
To laugh often and much,To win the respect of intelligent people,and the affection of children. To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others. To leave the world a little better,whether by a healthy child, or a garden patch…….. To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived this is to have succeeded.
Emerson
I miss you my friend
I came upon this website after visiting Rani’s my space. She had a video of Carlucci. I just wanted to express how touching it was to have read such heartfelt messages about Carlucci. I wish I would have met him. Reading his family and friends special words reminded me of my boyfriend who passed away a couple of years ago. it was a really tough time in my life. I took it really hard. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. He too was unique, special and very loved. I feel for everyone’s loss, it takes time but eventually the heart no longer hurts. All that remains are beautiful memories.
Love and peace,
Theresa
My Dearest Elf,
Bittersweet we had to part or our combined mania would have driven one of us to complete maddness…. but so sublime for God to let me know that our paths crossed anoymously in the way of His word and the choice of a drug free lifestyle.
You were always driven by the gifts He bestowed upon you, relentless in your pursuit of truth and one of the best fathers I have ever known… to your child, Art, whom you never abandoned, continuously nurtures, and left to grown even when you must leave.
Live well in eternity and I will enjoy meeting up with you again to share a smile and a pat on the back when my own calling comes to an end…
With respect, affection, and love,
Your homegirl,
Dina