Biography
Cara De Angelis was born and raised in the harsh, wooded terrain of undomesticated Connecticut. Brought up in such exotic and wild conditions fueled her natural inclination toward the work she makes concerning death and domestication.She has had shows in Connecticut, Minnesota and New York as well as received a residency in Giverny, France. She is a recipient of the Rudolph Zallinger Painting Award. In 2011, Cara graduated with her Master’s degree from the New York Academy of Art . Artist Statement
The two central themes of my work are the Tragic and the Infantile. These themes are embodied in my series on roadkill, which is presented through the rich and historically-loaded language of Still Life. My process involves finding the remains of animals that have been hit on the road and bringing them home. I set them up in compositions that both pay homage to, and satirize, 17th century Hunting Still Lifes. The still lifes, and portraits of animals on aristocratic laps, explore the long-standing confrontations between the domestic and the wild. The inclusion of dolls and children’s toys in my roadkill paintings are used to symbolize nostalgia and the infantile. This creates a fascinating disparity between the two worlds forced together in an absurd union, as well as serves as a means of finding humor in tragedy. With these works I hope to spark dialogue with my audience on the topic of wildlife in contemporary American visual art, and the changing role of wildlife in industrialized society.
CARA DeANGELIS
