Bio

Andrew Thomas Regal Tosiello was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He received a BFA in Painting from Boston University’s School for the Arts in 2000 and is an MFA candidate in Fine Arts at the California College of the Arts. His work revolves around the themes of history, commemoration, secret societies, and the apocalypse.

Artist Statement: Double Portrait Series

In my newest series of work I employ the image of the Mafia to examine various cultural and social concerns. In its shadowy nature, focus on the acquisition of money and power and its reliance on violence as a method of operation, I find an evocative set of elements to explore. It can stand as an emblem of the nature of Capitalism or an example of a self-determined community of the boundary of visibility. As well, the continued fascination which the Mafia holds in popular culture suggests that something within it and its colorful, if detestable characters, strikes a chord within people far removed from its way of life.

The series of silhouette portraits overlaid on top of book illustrations of American presidents does not refer, necessarily, to a history of collusion between organized crime and so-called respectable politicians, but rather to the vagueness of memory and an understanding of history. In the way that the silhouettes are obscure, lacking detail, so, too, is the knowledge of the work and legacy of presidents such as Tyler, Harrison and Buchanan. As well, both the bosses of the Mafia and the presidents wield unimaginable power derived from, oftentimes, sources hidden from view.