Born Freeport, New York 1959

Mangiaracina’s work shows the influence of postmodern artists whose landmark paintings in the period following Abstract Expressionism reaffirmed the possibilities of representation by championing the motifs to be found in banal objects – flags, targets, coffee cans, letters, numbers, maps.  This subject matter became the new genre and drew interest to both the artist’s motivation and the creative process.  Mangiaracina’s playful fascination with process and the use of alternative materials, such as metal rather than canvas, never overshadow his reflections on and his reaction to life.  The paintings begin with a series of tiny drawings where we encounter, always in new combinations, iconic images, recurring themes, and visual metaphors.  These, together with the assertive painterly quality of his work and his ability to reinvent himself in each new work allude to his profound personal engagement.   His paintings express his virtuosity and an uncommon attachment to meaningful outcomes (as elusive as they may be in art) and poetically express the earnest conviction that, despite our tenuous existence in an imperfect and unpredictable world, there can be transcendence, redemption and even grace.

Chris earned an Associate of Art degree from Miami-Dade Community College in 1979 and his Bachelor of Art degree from Barry University in 1992.   He has had twelve important solo exhibitions and his work has been included in many group exhibitions, including the important exhibition in 1990 Twenty-Five in Miami in Miami, Florida.  His work is included in major museum collections and he has been the subject of numerous critical essays.