Tania LaCaria ( b. 1985) is an Italian-Canadian artist with a BA in Fine Arts (York University 2006) and a CIDA advanced diploma in Interior Design (Sheridan College 2009). LaCaria has traveled extensively, collecting inspiration from the various cultures and countries she’s lived in. LaCaria’s playful and expressive approach to her life is emulated in her work through strong gestures and bold colours.
Her paintings explore paradox through an Abstract Expressionism aesthetic. Considering the colour black as a representation of HerSelf, she often applies black medium as the first or second marks in her work. Keen to place play & experimentation at the forefront of her creative experience, LaCaria works with a wide variety of ink, acrylic paint & pastels, and uses eccentric tools such as brooms, home decor, rolling pins, personal clothing & credit cards to support her intuitive and adventurous approach to mark making.
The playful and aloof approach LaCaria takes in creating her work is directly juxtaposed by the raw vulnerability she expresses in the tone of her paintings. Her willingness to address pain, depression, grief, infidelity, self-doubt and oppression is rooted in her desire to establish an emotional connection with others by giving viewers permission to normalize these difficult emotions by identifying them in themselves.
*Photo by Rae Connell
