Sandra Manzi

Artist statement

The initial inspiration for my paintings comes from my own photos of observations of everyday urban life. From these observations I start a process of layering and superimposing different time periods - looking for small similarities and differences which speak of larger questions. Layering different scenes opens the narrative up to many interpretations. I utilize this technique in my paintings in order to generate ideas about the human condition, and to stir our subconscious. As an art history buff, I learned many things by seeing the parallel between art with culture and human nature. Through a blend of different periods and styles, I wish to get the viewer to reflect on the present in relation to our past. This series started as I was asking myself the questions of how do I make work that has value in this time in our lives right now, what is the work that I can make that has some meaning and can make some contribution to the very long conversation of art history as it relates to the human experience? My intention is to make us think about how people and our day to day lives may be similar or different from the way it was many years ago, and how artists have chosen to depict these events through the centuries. I'm also interested in how technology has mediated these experiences. If it is different, in what way? If it is the same, how and why might it be similar? I like to think that time has changed many things, but our emotions and what it means to be human has not changed.