ROBB SANDAGATA | LOWELL MASSACHUSETTS

My work employs surrealism, humor, and grotesque imagery to depict aspects of the human condition and contemporary life. Each work features a character, or group of characters, engaged in an implied yet uncertain narrative. Some struggle for power, some face heartbreak and uncertainty, others are here to party, some are oppressed and horrified, and some are power hungry narcissists. While the characters and scenes depicted look fantastic and unreal, they are intended to depict real human emotions and situations (and sometimes real public figures).

The titles are frequently drawn from references to pop culture, music, as well as political and social events. Many of them are direct quotes that hint at possible interpretations for the artwork, while others are associations with the image.

My paintings offer direct and indirect critiques of culture, politics, consumerism, and advertising. The characters in my paintings are based on human beings, some real, some archetypal, and some imagined. the recurring theme of the grotesque/distorted body connects to my 33-year battle with Type 1 Diabetes and its accompanying complications, which become increasingly challenging as I grow older, now including Autonomic Dysfunction and Peripheral Neuropathy.

Robb Sandagata was born in New Haven, CT and has lived in New York, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Significant influences, in roughly chronological order, include: cartoons, comic books, Dungeons & Dragons, "Alternative" music, punk rock, theater, competitive debate, mid-90s Hardcore, and band t-shirts. He studied sculpture and liberal arts at Sarah Lawrence College, and later earned a Master's in Secondary Education. He taught Middle and High School Art in Sierra Vista, AZ before entering the mysterious realm of educational publishing. He continues to write and perform songs individually and collaboratively, sometimes in bands, whenever possible. He lives in Lowell, MA with Emily Sandagata, some dogs, and piles of artwork.

Nu Norms, 32 x 48 in., acrylic on found wood // $1,800

Apocalyptic Rizz, 24 x 24 in., acrylic on panel // $1,800

Judgey Birbs, 24 x 24 in., acrylic on panel // $1,800