Richard Pasquarelli “Compulsion”

Salomon Contemporary

[Image: Richard Pasquarelli "Stephanie, No. 1" (2016) oil on linen, 56 by 42 in.]

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Salomon Contemporary presents Compulsion, an exhibition of new paintings by Richard Pasquarelli. “This work investigates the physical presence of psychological states of mind: the relationships between mind, matter and its manifestation in the world around us,” says Pasquarelli of his second solo exhibition with the gallery. Pasquarelli immersed himself into the homes of hoarders and people with organizational OCD; based on the compelling imagery he gathered from these environments, the artist has created a series of paintings that aren’t just a representation of these people’s possessions; they are portraits of their minds.

Using research into the psychology of hoarding and OCD, quantum physics, and eastern philosophy, Pasquarelli explores what our physical reality is made of and how it comes to appear as it does. By studying the various approaches we take to define our existence, Pasquarelli has come to see our physical surroundings as a projection or manifestation of the mind.

“A man’s Self is the sum total of all that he can call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house.” The prescient words of William James, often referred to as the father of American psychology, are especially relevant in today’s society of insatiable consumerism. With this new direction in his work, Pasquarelli hopes to encourage a discourse about our psychological relationship to our belongings, and the implications of that relationship to consumption and our sense of self.

Richard Pasquarelli was born in New York in 1968 and earned a BFA from Syracuse University. He was recently awarded the Cleveland Museum of Art / Print Club of Cleveland Presentation Print commission for 2017. His paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries in New York, London, Bergen, Norway, Madrid, and Los Angeles as well as The Miami Art Museum, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, The Chelsea Museum, Jersey City Museum, and The Islip Art Museum. His work is found in many corporate, public and private collections throughout the world including The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Detroit Institute of Art, the US Library of Congress, J. Crew, General Dynamics Inc., Syracuse University, The Zabludowicz Collection, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, and Progressive Insurance to name a few. Mr. Pasquarelli lives in New York City with his wife and children.