A square thumbnail of Sandra Manzi's artwork.

Sandra Manzi

Sandra Manzi’s artistic intention is to translate the intimacy and vulnerability of her human experience into figurative paintings. Working from mundane photographs of people in her immediate environment, her paintings explore an intersection between digital media and traditional painting, and between the fragmented reality of the real world and imaginary fiction. As she describes:

My process involves manipulating the various states of transparency in the overlay of different images. Figurative images get layered with natural or synthetic elements. I am attracted to the challenge involved in painting the detail in these images, in the mystery and the tension created, and in the way colour, composition, and texture get distorted. When painting, I look for little passages of visual magic in the way skin tone, and the figure itself blend in and out of certain areas. The paintings are dense with visual information yet unclear, forcing the viewer to really look and connect [to the subject] both visually and emotionally.”

Manzi holds a diploma in Fine Arts/Experimental Arts from OCAD University in Toronto and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Guelph, ON. Her work has been presented in numerous exhibitions in Hamilton and Toronto and is held in private collections in Canada. Manzi is currently based in Hamilton, ON.