Location: United States
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 residencies in New York, Sicily, and 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 in Tribeca. She currently lives and works in both New York and Connecticut.
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 historical language of Still Life. The paintings are highly sobering, yet without accusatory overtones and, at times, are actually humorous.
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, old Flemish and Northern hunting Still Lives. The still lives, and portraits of animals on bourgeoisie laps, explore our society’s relationship with nature and the modern alienation between humans and the animal world. The paintings speak through means of parody and symbolism and confront the viewer with death.
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, and serves as a means of finding humor in tragedy.
Oil paint, tar and asphalt on canvas
72"x53"
2011
Oil on canvas
36"x48"
2011
Oil on canvas
53"x38"
2011
Oil on canvas
38"x53"
2011
Oil on canvas
42"x32"
2011
“Laid Table of Roadkill”
“Dolls and Roadkill”
“Woman with Roadkill I”
“Woman with Roadkill II”
“Groundhog and Figurines”
