Anderson Ranch, June 2007
Lawrence Rinder
Andrew Tosiello’s recent work has used the theme of the Italian-American mobster as a lens through which to examine a variety of social and economic conditions from ethnic prejudice to corporatist capitalism. In one ongoing series he has used the readily identifiable profile mug-shot as a recurring motif. At times overlaid onto portraits of American presidents and at times arranged in a Minimalist grid, these evocative silhouettes blankly welcome the viewers’ projected assumptions and expectations. Indeed, the very muteness of these images and their availability for mis-reading, has provoked Tosiello to explore new formal strategies for their representation. Most recently, in a series developed at the Anderson Ranch, Tosiello developed a new technique incorporating graphite flakes blown onto water painted inside the outlines of one of his familiar mugshots. These images are strikingly effective, troubling the simple projection of villainy or even racial stereotyping. They elicit a more ambiguous response by combining the appearance of ash or dirt with the suggestion of something fine, or even precious. The delicate intricacy of the graphite covered surface—especially at the small scale of his current drawings—evokes the fine craftsmanship of a miniature or carved cameo.