SANDRA MANZI
BIO
Sandra Manzi is an artist from Toronto currently residing in Hamilton. She is a graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCADU) in Toronto where she received her diploma in Fine Arts/Experimental Arts, and received a B.A. in Fine Arts from the University of Guelph. She is a recipient of grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council, and has been a finalist for the Boynes Artist Award three times. Her work is represented by galleries in Toronto, Oakville, Hamilton, and San Francisco. Her paintings can be found in private collections throughout Canada, Europe, and the United States.
Sandra Manzi makes paintings which delve into themes dealing with human nature by exploring identity, our connection with one another and our environment, as well as our leisure activities in it's many forms of escapism. Her work not only reflect on us as a society, but also capture the vigorous energy of our urban world, while exploring the raw realities of the human condition - our fears, disappointments, joys and love - all of which shape our shared experience. She tends to work in series and the connection between them all is that each are explorations of how the self is formed in relation to each other, our domestic and urban environments, and society at large.
Inspiration comes to her in places where she can observe unguarded moments of human interaction. It is here with her camera as her sketchbook that she starts to explore universal themes related to human behavior and identity. These quick snapshots of urban life then get slowed done for us to absorb through the medium of oil paint. The emotion she feels when observing fleeting moments of people interacting with each other and their environment as well as the details of those encounters that happen by chance - such as the clothes we wear, the things we have with us, the urban setting we are in; are the things that particularly catch her eye.
"I take candid photos of things I see in my day to day life that strike me in some way and then I try to re-create that visual experience in a painting. My work thrives on spontaneity. For subject matter I walk through bustling streets or public events, and vibrant marketplaces, looking for people and things that catch my attention. Primarily working in oil on canvas, my focus is on depicting these everyday situations, natural environments, the tension and emotion that arises when people interact with each other. My interest in reinvigorating the history of figurative art, the play of light, and capturing fleeting encounters play a significant role in my painting practice."
ARTIST STATEMENT
I've always been interested in the narrative qualities of art, but where the meaning is ambiguous. I strive to create paintings where the viewer is given room to explore different possible stories within each piece. The figure is often present in my work but my interest does not lie in capturing a resemblance. I am more interested in exploring my endless fascination with humanity through, its essence and manifestations, especially as it relates to how our past is connected to our present. I get inspiration from observing people around me both that I know and that are anonymous to me. I'm also greatly inspired by the history of art - the artists, styles, and genres that still continue to draw us to museums today. I make paintings that can be classified as Realist but my goal is to transcend Realism; creating compositions that embody fragments of a reality formed by diverse mediums, moments and places.
As a representational painter I'm always looking for universally familiar experiences to provoke reflection - making us consider our present time with that of our past. My paintings are about my life, not in a descriptive or specific sense, but rather in the form of observations that open up the possibility of deeper, universal meaning. These observations can be of either anonymous people that might catch my attention or people I know. They are the subjects in my paintings which are meant to have us reflect on the relationship between oneself and others, and between the individual and the collective in urban environments. A voyeuristic element is explored by using the human figure in it's intimate or everyday environment because I wish for my paintings to place us in a position of witness, of a spectator who observes, without being observed. I often leave narratives ambiguous and open to interpretation, inviting the viewer's own experiences to fill in the storyline. Throughout art history there have been many paintings made that represented significant moments, but less so of the ordinary moments that typically go unnoticed. My work originates from my observations of the everyday moments of my surroundings, then photographing these moments and translating the digital image with the tactile quality of oil paint. By doing this I wish to elevate the ordinary through the act of painting therefore aligning these unremarkable moments of the everyday to the level of the major themes depicted throughout the history of art. Motifs such as shop windows, cars, sign posts, and especially pedestrians appear as signifiers for the fleeting and often anonymous encounters that underpin city life.
Another aspect of my work is a translation of living in a world of superimpositions where many layers of real and unreal images and experiences are happening all at once. We have people in front of us in real life at the same time as we are looking on our computer screens or cell phones, at the tv, movies, or magazines - dealing with different levels of information. That pivotal moment is what interests me the most. Some of my paintings explore this as it is seen naturally through our environment, such as in window reflections where you see people behind the glass, reflected in the glass, and in front of the glass simultaneously. At other times I will create this digitally by combining various photographs and then using them as reference for my paintings.
In my most recent work I look at paintings from the canon of art history. This series explores the superimposition of images from Art History with banal moments from daily life that I've captured with my camera. Combining the language of vernacular photography with the many tropes within the history of art, allows me to work through ideas related to modern society and it's relation to the bigger questions found in the understated moments in life. I often see our everyday experiences through a filter of narratives and genres which I studied in art history. My compositions reference images from the canon of art history with the everyday common experiences of the people around me. Sometimes these paintings are the result of multiple semi-transparent and collaged images, blending my own observations with images from art history, recontextualizing scenes from the past to make us question the present. By blending parts of Old Master works and other elements from the canon of art history with people from my own time, I wish to spark a dialogue between past and present; fact and fiction; tradition and technology. I especially like to compare the simple moments in life with the grand narratives of our past.
C.V.
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Elaine Fleck Gallery, Toronto
Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Rental and Sales Gallery, Toronto
Christopher Clark Fine Art, San Francisco, California
Crown and Press Gallery, Hamilton
Summer and Grace Gallery, Oakville
Art Interiors, Toronto
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
2025 - Summer and Grace Gallery, Two Person Show, Oct. 9-26, 2025
EXHIBITIONS
2025 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Two Person Show, April 1-30, 2025
2024 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Christmas Show, Dec. 2024
2024 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Summer Group Show, August 2024
2024 - Summer and Grace Gallery, A Beautiful Life: Still Life Exhibition, May 30 - July 14, 2024
2024 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Two Person Show, April 6-30, 2024
2024 - Crown and Press Gallery, February 3 - 21, 2024
2023 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Toronto, Group Show, December 2023
2023 - Centre3 Gallery, Hamilton, Ont., Two person show, Nov. 3 - 28, 2023
2023 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Three Person Show, Oct. 4-28, 2023
2023 - Elaine Fleck Gallery, Group Show, Sept. 7-30, 2023
2023 - Crown and Press Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
2023 - Paula While Diamond Gallery, "Big Idea Show", July - August 2023
2023 - Square Foot Show - Florals, Online show, May 4 - 6, 2023
2023 - Art Gallery of Hamilton Annual Art Sale, Hamilton, Ont., April 27 - 30, 2023
2023 - Dundas Valley School of Art 52nd Annual Auction, Hamilton, Ont., April 10 - 15, 2023
2023 - Ironwood Cider House, Gallery, Solo Show, Niagara on The Lake, Ont., April 15 - May 4, 2023
2023 - Summer and Grace Gallery, "Joy" Exhibit, Dec. 1, 2022 - Feb. 27, 2023
2022 - Paula White Diamond Gallery, "Square Foot Show", Nov. 26 - Dec. 4, 2022, Waterloo, Ont.
2022 - Paula White Diamond Gallery, "Big Ideas Show", Oct. 27 - Nov. 12, 2022, Waterloo, Ont.
2022 - Art Gallery of Mississauga, Second Annual Juried Show of Visual Arts, Sept.13 - Oct. 23, 2022
2022 - Summer And Grace Gallery, Oakville, Ontario
2022 - 2023 - Art Gallery of Hamilton, Art Rental And Sales Gallery, Hamilton, Ontario
2022 - Earls Court Gallery, "Bouquet", April 7 - May 7, 2022, Hamilton, Ontario
2021 - 2023 - Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Rental And Sales Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2021 - Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, July 2-11., Toronto, Ontario
2010 - George Brown College Gallery, Three Person Show, Toronto, Ontario
1998 - 2007 - Gallery Moos, Toronto, Group Shows, Toronto, Ontario
2008 - Fran Hill Gallery – “The Portrait Challenge”, Group Show, Toronto, Ontario
2004 - The Burston Gallery, “Crooked Grind”, Solo Show, Toronto, Ontario
2002 - Luft Gallery, “Hockey Card Portraits”, Solo Show, Toronto, Ontario
1998 - West Wing Art Space, “Fleeting Moments”, Solo Show, Toronto, Ontario
GRANTS AND AWARDS
2024 - Boynes Artist Award, 11th Edition Finalist
2022 - Boynes Artist Award, 7th Edition Finalist.
2022 - Boynes Artist Award, 6th Edition Finalist.
2021 - Ontario Arts Council, Exhibition Assistance Grant
2003 -Toronto Arts Council, Exhibition Assistance Grant
2002 - Canada Council for the Arts Grant
2002 - Ontario Arts Council Grant
EDUCATION
1988 - B.A., Fine Arts, University of Guelph
1987 - A.O.C.A., Fine Arts/Experimental Arts, Ontario College of Art and Design
1984 - C.T.S.A.D., Fine Arts, Central Technical School, Department of Fine Arts, Toronto
PRESS
Boynes Artist Award, 11th Edition Finalist -
"We are delighted to showcase Vintage by Sandra Manzi, a Finalist in the Boynes Artist Award 11th Edition!
Description: Inspired by the works of Old Masters, Sandra’s 'Vintage' recontextualizes James Tissot’s painting 'Croquet', blending elements of art history with contemporary figures. As a figurative artist, Sandra captures fleeting human moments that spark bigger questions about identity and what it means to be human. This dialogue between past and present, tradition and technology, creates a timeless and thought-provoking narrative."
https://boynesartistaward.com/interviews/artist-sandra-manzi
https://boynesartistaward.com/interviews/artist-sandra-manzi-updated