Marianna Peragallo

About

Brazilian, b. 1988   —   Marianna Peragallo is a Brazilian-American artist based in New York, NY. Her recent anthropomorphic sculptures are playful self-portraits embodying the cross-sections of love, labor, endurance, and support. The sculptures are learning what love and support can look like. They have mutated into hybrid forms that are object, body, and language to express a single loving gesture. Love is often misrepresented as being fluff. It is thought of as sentimental, passive, or, worse, manipulative. This mischaracterization underlies abuses of power and oppression that plague us. However, love is a radical act rooted in strength and mutual support that stretches us beyond the confines of comfort. This is why the small sculptures have mutated beyond the possibilities of the human body to sweep, reflect, contain, etc. They also reimagine common household objects and hardware–a step, broom and dustpan, plastic bags, etc–that can be taken for granted despite being essential. Love is learned and taught. With this in mind, she tries to capture the playful quality of children's books and childhood where we first (mis)learn about love. Marianna's recent exhibitions include group shows at Hales Gallery, New York, NY, Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, NY, Transmitter Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, A.I.R Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Collar Works, Troy, NY, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY, and Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY. She has made public art projects for the New York Restoration Project at the Suffolk Street Community Garden, New York, NY, Art Lot, Brooklyn, NY, and Light Year 56, Brooklyn, NY. Marianna attended the Byrdcliffe Artist Residency in Woodstock, New York in 2014, the Wassaic Project Residency in October 2019, the Mass MoCA Assets for Artists residency in December 2019, and the New Hope Colony Artist Residency in April 2021. She has a BFA from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, an MFA from The School of Visual Arts, New York. She is in residence at the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program from fall 2021-2022. For more information and images visit www.mariannaperagallo.com