Richard Pasquarelli

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Artist statement

The objects of our everyday experience intrinsically hold evidence of our presence in the world. The selection of objects, their arrangements, and their ‘importance’ disclose much about the consciousness of the people who have collected and organized them. My paintings are more than representations of our possessions, they are portraits of our minds. My work actuates a visual language which represents the workings of the human mind. Through analysis of my own OCD, and research into mental health, philosophy, and the physical properties of nature, I seek to better understand the connections between physical reality and the mind: making visible everyday aspects of our experience of the world as evidence of our presence within it. Conducting field research in environments that exemplify the relationships between humanity and our possessions is a major component of my practice. I have visited homes of those affected by mental health disorders like OCD and hoarding, as well as the inaccessible, unseen storage facilities of personal and museum collections of art. The knowledge gained through my interviews and the reference photographs I takes have become integral parts of my process. By creating artworks based on these spaces, I have come to perceive our physical surroundings as a manifestation of the psyche.

Artwork