Coquere, 2020

Coquere is an original, site-specific sculpture created for the circular green space outside the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute that will enhance and celebrate the culinary arts in a unique and dramatic expression of contemporary art. At 27 feet tall, 10 feet deep, and 12 feet in diameter, Coquere will be created in mirror-finish stainless steel, enhanced with red and white LED lighting from the full circumference of the top of the sculpture.

Coquere is an expressive creation that blends elements of Pop Art with classical and contemporary abstraction, suggesting not only the tools of our great chefs but also humanistic figurative features. The elements of the main, vertical body of the sculpture include abstracted forms of a filet knife, spoon, spatula, whisk, and strainer, with a serving plate as the circular base. Raimondi specifically chose mirror-finish stainless steel for Coquere because stainless steel is the base material for most cooking tools and many serving utensils.

Cooking has inexorable importance to Raimondi personally, and this sculpture reflects the reverence and love that the artist has for the culinary arts.