--- title: Sandra Manzi description: "I'm a contemporary painter whose work looks at the themes human behavior within our Urban Life. " url: "https://www.artsume.com/a/sandra-manzi" type: artist createdAt: 2026-05-27 updatedAt: 2026-08-26 disciplines: - Painting location: "Toronto, ON, Canada" birthYear: 1964 --- # Sandra Manzi *I'm a contemporary painter whose work looks at the themes human behavior within our Urban Life. | Painting | Based in Toronto, ON, Canada* ## 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. ## Biography I was born and raised in Toronto, and currently reside in Hamilton. I'm a graduate from the Ontario College of Art (now OCADU) where I received my diploma in Fine Arts. After OCA I received my B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Guelph. Fresh out of University I started working at the Art Gallery of Ontario, where I worked for 30 years. I'm a recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. ​ ## Curriculum Vitae ### Education - **1988** - B.A., in Fine Arts, University of Guelph, Guelph - **1987** - A.O.C.A., in Fine Arts/Experimental Arts, Ontario College of Art (OCADU), Toronto - **1984** - C.T.S.A.D., in Fine Arts, Central Technical School, Department of Fine Arts, Toronto ### Solo Exhibitions - **2023** - Centre3 Gallery Hamilton - **2023** - Ironwood Cider House Niagara-on-the-Lake - **2004** - "Crooked Grind Solo Show," The Burston Gallery Toronto - **2002** - "Hockey Card Portraits Solo Show," Luft Gallery Toronto - **1998** - "Fleeting Moments Solo Show," West Wing Art Space Toronto ### Group Exhibitions - **2026** - "Debut," Lost In Composition Gallery Seattle - **2025** - Elaine Fleck Gallery Toronto - **2025** - Noma Gallery Collingwood - **2024** - Elaine Fleck Gallery Toronto - **2024** - Chrsitopher Clark Fine Art San Francesco - **2023** - "Big Ideas Show," Paula While Diamond Gallery Waterloo - **2023** - "Square Foot Show," Paula While Diamond Gallery Waterloo - **2023** - "Spring Annual Art Sale & Art Rental and Sales," Art Gallery of Hamilton Hamilton - **2022** - "Second Annual Juried Show," Art Gallery of Mississauga Mississauga - **2022** - "Bouquet," Earls Court Gallery Hamilton - **2021** - Toronto Outdoor Art Fair Toronto - **2010** - "Three Person Show," George Brown College Gallery Toronto - **2008** - "The Portrait Challenge Group Show," Fran Hill Gallery Toronto ### Collections - Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton, (Public) - Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, (Public) ### Gallery Representation - Art Interiors, Toronto, (Current) - Chrsitopher Clark Fine Art, San Francesco, (Current) - Crown and Press Gallery, Hamilton, (Current) - Gallery Moos, Toronto - Lost In Composition Gallery, Seattle, (Current) - Summer and Grace Gallery, Toronto, (Current) ## Portfolio ### Time To Reflect (2026) --- ### The Grapes Of Wrath (2026) --- ### In Artemisia's Room (2026) --- ### The Soldiers (2026) --- ### Thinking Of The Ulmer Muenster (2025) --- ### Leda's Revenge (2025) --- ### The Breakdancers With Caravaggio's The Musicians (2025) --- ### Mirror Image (2025) --- ### Alida Today (2025) --- ### Drive Me To Where I Belong (2024)