Richard Pasquarelli

With help from Yves 2024

“The objects of our everyday experience intrinsically hold evidence of our presence in the world. The selection of objects, their arrangements, and their ‘importance’ disclose much about the consciousness of the people who have collected and organized them. My paintings are more than representations of our possessions, they are portraits of our minds.”

Richard Pasquarelli’s work creates a visual language that represents our physical reality as a manifestation of the psyche. Inspired by analysis of his own obsessive compulsions for perfection and order, Pasquarelli pursues a better understanding of the complex relationships between our environments and our minds.

Pasquarelli’s process includes research into psychology, mental health, philosophy, and the physical properties of nature. He also seeks out institutional, personal, and everyday spaces which exemplify the relationships he depicts. The interviews he conducts and the thousands of photographs he takes during his field research are integral parts of his practice.

Previous II

Pasquarelli’s work actuates a visual language which represents the workings of the human mind. Through analysis of his own OCD, and research into mental health, philosophy, and the physical properties of nature, Pasquarelli seeks to better understand the connections between physical reality and the mind: making visible everyday aspects of our experience of the world as evidence of our presence within it.

Conducting field research in environments that exemplify the relationships between humanity and our possessions is a major component of his practice. Pasquarelli has visited homes of those affected by mental health disorders like OCD and hoarding, as well as the inaccessible, unseen storage facilities of personal and museum collections of art. The knowledge gained through his interviews and the photographs he takes have become integral parts of his process. By creating artworks based on these spaces, he has come to perceive our physical surroundings as a manifestation of the psyche. Pasquarelli’s paintings are more than representations of possessions, they are portraits of our minds.

Richard Pasquarelli has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions in museums, galleries, and art fairs throughout the U.S. and Europe. His work is represented globally in many public and private collections including The Cleveland Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Flint Institute of Arts, The US Library of Congress, the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection, The Zabludowicz Collection, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, General Dynamics Inc., Progressive Insurance, Roanoke College Art Collection, Syracuse University Art Collection, and The Mattatuck Museum of Art. Selected residencies, awards and commissions include MASS MoCA, Ucross Foundation, The Ragdale Foundation, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, The Print Club of Cleveland Annual Presentation Print commission for 2017, and multiple public installations for the City of New York. Pasquarelli has been a visiting artist and advisor, lectured on, and been interviewed about his work at Yale University, Syracuse University, Roanoke College, WPKN Radio, Whitehot Art World Podcast, and Radio Free Brooklyn, to name a few. Pasquarelli was born in 1968 and received his BFA from Syracuse University. Pasquarelli lives and works in New York City.

Previous I

My paintings make visible the relationships between physical reality and the mind. Through analysis of my own OCD compulsions for perfection and order, and research into mental health, psychology, the physical properties of nature, and philosophy, I seek a better understanding of the connection between mind and matter and its observable presence in the world around us.

To build upon my research, I have immersed myself into the study of OCD and hoarding disorder by conducting field research in the homes of people affected by these conditions. The knowledge gained through my interviews and the thousands of photographs I take during my visits have become integral parts of my process. By creating artworks based on these spaces, I have come to perceive our physical surroundings as a manifestation of the psyche. My paintings are more than representations of people’s possessions, they are portraits of their minds.

My goal with this work is to actuate a visual language which represents the workings of the human mind. Although my paintings engage with aspects of realism, abstraction, and minimalism, the mental processes I depict require me to seek out a different set of visual archetypes.

FROM SHANDAKEN APPLICATION

My paintings make visible the relationships between physical reality and the mind. Through analysis of my own obsessive compulsions for perfection, symmetry, and order, and research into mental health, psychology, and philosophy, I seek a better understanding of the connection between mind and matter and its observable presence in the world around us.

I have immersed myself into the study of OCD and hoarding disorder, conducting field research in the homes of people affected by these conditions. Interviews and photographs I take during my visits have become integral parts of my process. By creating artworks based on these spaces, I have come to perceive our physical surroundings as a manifestation of the psyche.

My research and work have given me a greater understanding and empathy for those affected by the disorders I study. Regardless of personal identity or circumstance, most of us struggle with mental health – yet we have reservations about having open, honest, and vulnerable conversations. Through my work, I hope to foster a more compassionate public discourse around mental health.

Order

My obsession with objects has little to do with what the objects are, but rather their physicality in relation to the space between and around them. The negative space is also an object. Its physicality is as important as that of the objects in their overall arrangement. I am continually ‘correcting’ these arrangements to find their ideal balance. Once realized, moving an object presents a new conundrum.

How do we get to the essence of a thing? For example, when we see a wax candle, a wax piece of fruit, or the candy wax lips, what is it about that thing that makes us all aware and intrinsically know that it’s wax. Once you remove all the traits from the candle or the lips or the fruit, like color, sent, etc., we’re left with this essence, the essence of wax. It’s that essence and I’m seeking to find within each object.

“Self Portrait No. 1” is a recreation of the meticulously arranged bookshelves I have in my studio. The work is comprised of sixty individual oil paintings on mylar, mounted on steel plates, and hung with magnets recessed into the wall.

ON ADHD

I often debate telling people that I have ADHD because of its stigma. Can he focus, get anything done, ever sit down? The truth is: ADHD is my superpower. I have accomplished a lot in my life and career, and no, I never sit down. My ADHD is coupled with a form of OCD called Symmetry Ordering. To some, this seems a good thing—neat home, organized studio, sorted files—but the fact is, I am compelled to precisely order my surroundings. ‘Correcting’ positions of objects even slightly moved. My compulsive behavior is my greatest distraction and my greatest inspiration.

WATSON SERIES

Although my work has predominantly focused on personal relationships with objects, I am also interested in what we, as a society, collect and save, the importance we assign to these objects, and whether this is a form of public hoarding. This research also raises questions about the practical issues of storage space, how this may affect what we “save”, and our systems of organization.

I recently gained access to the storage facility for the Watson library of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Within subterranean rooms filled with thousands of books, there is an area that houses rare manuscripts and books. These artifacts, deemed important, but hidden from public view, are stored in hand-crafted, soft colored, archival cardboard folios, laid horizontally and meticulously stacked on rolling metal shelves. Aside from the archival aspects of the storage, I am intrigued by the care with which these items have been organized and stored, which imparts a sense of importance to the storage itself, regardless of the contents.

FROM SHANDAKEN APPLICATION

Although my work predominantly focuses on personal relationships with objects, I am also interested in what we as a society collect and save, and the importance we assign to these objects, as form of public hoarding.

I am currently visiting storage facilities of major art museums. These collections are stored in handmade boxes within complex, customized systems. I am intrigued by the care with which these items have been stored and meticulously organized. Yet, within these flawless systems I see anomalies—a box slightly askew, a misaligned drawer, stickies with scribbled notes, traces of an absent, imperfect, human presence.

These systems are prompting me to reconsider how I represent these 3D spaces, two dimensionally. By immersing myself in the sculptural environs of Shandaken, I hope to gain new insights into the ways I contemplate these spaces, and experiment with incorporating those ideas into the works I create during my residency.

PERFECTION SERIES

These works study compulsions in pursuit of perfect order and represent the idealized state sought after by those affected by organizational OCD. I choose to recreate forms that we have become immune to. Things that have become invisible to us due to their prevalence in our lives. Each painting is accompanied by a diagram for installation which specifies the parameters of a rectangle to be painted on a wall and dictates the precise locations of the oil paintings to be hung within that rectangle.

ORDER

My obsession with objects has little to do with what the objects are, but rather their physicality in relation to the space between and around them. The negative space is also an object. Its physicality is as important as that of the objects in their overall arrangement. I am continually ‘correcting’ these arrangements to find their ideal balance. Once realized, moving an object presents a new conundrum.

“Self Portrait No. 1” is a recreation of the meticulously arranged bookshelves I have in my studio. The work is comprised of sixty individual oil paintings on mylar, mounted on steel plates, and hung with magnets recessed into the wall.

VEXATIONS & DISTURBANCES

These pieces explore the computational ways in which we process information, through patterns and systems, while presenting it to us in physical form, through the rearrangement and organization of everyday objects.


COLLECTION SERIES

This series is based on my field research in the homes of those affected by hoarding disorder. After attending a professional conference on Hoarding disorder, I began seeing these environments, and the things collected, as a symptom of the disorder, rather than piles of random objects. During my research, I had visited with a woman who conveyed to me multiple stories of traumatic events in her childhood. I took notice of the way in which she told me the stories. She was very precise in her descriptions of the details; down to specific dates, times, the age she was, and the places in which these events occurred. When I looked around her home, I saw how, in essence, her hoard was her “proof” of this past.

RELICS

My parents are no longer alive, and I no longer possess many of the things found in their home. I frequently visit flea markets and garage sales where I purchase objects that I remember from my childhood home. When I bring one of these surrogates back to my studio, I meditate on it. Immediately a memory emerges, one usually directly related to the object, the room it was in, or an event. I close my eyes and try to recall the precise details of that memory. In a way, reliving it. This memory leads to another, and another, and so on. As I travel down this rabbit hole of memories, one often comes that intrigues me. I extract that memory and recreate it in film then embed it within the painting of that object. The film is made visible through the use of augmented realty on a mobile device

On Catherine No. 1 and 2.

My works are often titled after the people I visit as part of my research into the psychological relationships between our minds and our physical surroundings. Catherine was one of the first people I met during my field research into compulsions for organization. I made two paintings based on her home. Everything in her environment had been meticulously placed, even down to the yellow post-it notes on her refrigerator. There were 9 post-its arranged perfectly parallel to one another, as well as to the edges of the door, with a quarter of space between them. The handwriting on them was so even it looked like a straight edge had been used as a guide to ensure the evenness of the scribbled notes. Her personal library was also well ordered, not only by subject, but also by color. She had several bookcases dedicated to books with pastel colored spines. I was inspired by the beauty of her sense of order.

Perfection
These works study compulsions in pursuit of perfect order and represent the idealized state sought after by the minds of those affected by organizational OCD. Each paintings is accompanied by a diagram for installation which specifies the parameters of a rectangle to be painted on a wall and dictates the precise locations of the oil paintings to be hung within that rectangle. Although I can’t achieve perfection in my daily life, in art, I can.

I choose to recreate forms that we have become immune to. Things that have become invisible to us due to their prevalence in our lives. I am re-presenting these objects, recreating the wonder we experienced as a child when seeing these objects for the first time.

Collection
Recently, I attended a professional conference regarding the psychological origins and therapies for hoarding disorder. Speaking with psychologists, therapists, and academics working in the field has influenced the way that I see these environments, as I consider how our subconscious minds become apparent in the objects with which we surround ourselves. The paintings I create based on the environments I visit seek to capture that.

On Collection 2
This series is based on my field research in the homes of those affected by hoarding disorder. After attending a professional conference on Hoarding disorder, I started looking at people with the disorder differently. I had greater empathy for their situation and I began seeing their environments, and the things they collected, as a symptom of their disorder, rather than piles of random objects. During my research, I had visited with a woman who conveyed to me multiple stories of traumatic events in her childhood. I took notice of the way in which she told me the stories. She was very precise in her descriptions of the details; down to specific dates, times, the age she was, and the places in which these events occurred. When I looked around her home, I saw how, in essence, her hoard was her “proof” of this past. I have only scratched the surface in trying to understand the ways in which trauma may be evidenced in the objects with which individuals choose to surround themselves. By making paintings based on these environments, I hope to better understand the correlation between the two.

Vexations & Disturbances
These pieces not only explore the computational ways in which we process information, through patterns and systems, but presents it to us in physical form, through the rearrangement and organization of everyday objects.

On Creation
The creation of a work of art can be synonymous with the content it depicts. For me it is important to prepare my mind to be in the right state before I begin work. This includes the organization of my space and my work surface, the music I listen to and even the ways in which I approach the steps for each phase of the project. I never rush. I consider every phase on its own and try to maximize its efficacy on the project itself. Each preparation is as important to me as the work I am creating. My works are extension of my psyche. It is important to me to facilitate moving from inner to outer seamlessly.

On Reduction
The simplification of my forms stems is grounded in phenomenology. How do we get to the essence of a thing? For example, when we see a wax candle, a wax piece of fruit, or the candy wax lips, what is it about that thing that makes us all aware and intrinsically know that it’s wax. Once you remove all the traits from the candle or the lips or the fruit, like color, sent, etc., we’re left with this essence, the essence of wax. It’s that essence and I’m seeking to find within each object.

More on Collection

I recently attended a professional conference regarding the psychological origins and therapies for hoarding. The conference gave me the opportunity to speak one-on-one with psychologists, therapists, and academics working in the field as well as a local task force team. Some presented studies that discussed the causes of hoarding disorder, including childhood trauma, genetics, and anxiety. Other information included the specific types of hoarding, how hoarding affects a community at large, and therapeutic approaches. What I learned has influenced the way that I see these environments, as I consider the ways the subconscious is evidenced in the objects people surround themselves with. I now see their possessions as an extension of their being as opposed to just a pile of ‘stuff.’

Through the conference, I was introduced to Uda, a woman affected by hoarding disorder. She offered the opportunity for me to visit her home. As she told me stories about the ways she was wronged as a child, I took notice of her delivery in particular. She was very precise in her descriptions of the details, down to specific dates, exact times, her age, and the places in which these events occurred. When I looked around her home, I observed the precision with which she had organized her hoard of files, old letters, newspaper clippings, report cards, and more; this was the evidence of her past trauma. In the paintings I plan to create based on Uda’s environment, I seek to capture that.

My Collection paintings are based on my field research in the homes of those affected by hoarding disorder. After attending a professional conference on Hoarding disorder, I started looking at people with the disorder differently. I had greater empathy for their situation and I began seeing their environments, and the things they collected, as a symptom of their disorder, rather than piles of random objects. During my research, I had visited with a woman who conveyed to me multiple stories of traumatic events in her childhood. I took notice of the way in which she told me the stories. She was very precise in her descriptions of the details; down to specific dates, times, the age she was, and the places in which these events occurred. When I looked around her home, I saw how, in essence, her hoard was her “proof” of this past. I have only scratched the surface in trying to understand the ways in which trauma may be evidenced in the objects with which individuals choose to surround themselves. By making paintings based on these environments, I hope to better understand the correlation between the two.

Taken from Carmargo Application

All of my work stems from one simple concept; to make visible the relationships between our minds and our possessions. By conducting field research in the homes of people affected by OCD and hoarding disorder, the knowledge I have gained through my interviews and the thousands of photographs I take during my visits have become integral parts of my process. By creating artworks based on these spaces, I have come to perceive the objects we surround ourselves with and their arrangement as a manifestation of the psyche. I create various bodies of work based on this research and have included three distinct areas of focus along with this application: order, perfection and collection.

Collection

This series of paintings is based on the thousands of photographs I take during my visits in the homes of those affected by hoarding disorder. Although these paintings are depictions of real environments, I transform these chaotic spaces into appealing and orderly still lives. Color plays an important role in this series. By using intense and seductive color I am able transform what appear to be piles of trash into beautiful formal compositions, mirroring the allure felt by the individual who collected them.