Huffington Post Interview with Antonio Petracca

Antonio Petracca, Sleep With the Fishes (2007), oil on canvas on wood, 30" x 32"

Antonio Petracca‘s art addresses the cultural, visual, political and systemic aspects of the preconceived opinion. In his earliest days exhibiting in New York, Petracca investigated our general understanding of visual perception, and how that related to architectural elements utilizing slivers and fragments of the periphery. Memory plays an important role in his art, as the stories he told conveyed incomplete vistas that had a depth of representation that was oddly rich and wholly compelling. Everything you needed to complete the narrative was there, all you had to do was think about what you were looking at - then make connections between what you were experiencing with the artist’s work with what you experienced in your own lifelong journey. These were in essence, incredibly successful ‘interactive’ conversations between the artist and the viewer.

Petracca has since gone through a number of changes that have been prompted by tragedy and travel. Recently I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions in an attempt to get a little deeper into his thoughts and intentions.

DDL: For obvious reasons, the paintings you did of the aftermath and ensuing months of The World Trade Center tragedy are the most emotionally compelling paintings based on visual fragments. This particular series culminated in an exhibition at Kim Foster Gallery titled Forecast: Sunny & Clear High in the Low 80s, a title that is an obvious reference to the pristine weather of that tragic September morning. I suspect you chose this title as most everyone’s experience that day was made more Surreal by the ideal weather in the North East. You were and still are living right next to ground zero. You have seen and felt the tragedy and transition first hand and I imagine your paintings and photographs of that period have given you a way to personally cope with the overwhelming complexity of emotions you once felt and do still feel.

For the complete article please visit The Huffington Post