Daniel Santangelo

Born to Italian and Ethiopian-Eritrean parents, Daniel Santangelo's mixed media works explore his ancestry and identity through a mythological lens. His figures explore spaceless, timeless alternative universes - interacting with delicate marks, s...

Born to Italian and Ethiopian-Eritrean parents, Daniel Santangelo's mixed media works explore his ancestry and identity through a mythological lens. His figures explore spaceless, timeless alternative universes - interacting with delicate marks, script, and objects in spiritual and evocative ways. Santangelo looks to distill the Ethiopian-Eritrean experience into objects or behaviours which permeate the surface of his paintings, sitting somewhere between object, abstraction and figuration. The notion of relic resonates throughout these works. Shells and sculptural elements are incorporated within - their physicality grounding them in reality and creating an enjoyable tension given the spiritual, timeless metaphysical worlds they depict. In many ways these metaphysical environments are simply reflective of the black ancestral experience - referencing the cultural ties that bind continental Africans and those of the African Diaspora. Portals transport the viewer to a world where both abstract and figurative elements appear in harmony; mankind and animal in symbiosis. Shimmering, sparkling stars are scattered across the surface, referencing humanity’s longstanding interest in the symbolism and secrets held in the night sky and the cosmos beyond. In places, Santangelo’s seemingly ambiguous shapes reference Fidel (traditional Ethiopian/Eritrean script), and his interest in cross cultural mythological representations is evident throughout. Tropes of both Western and Eastern religious painting and mythology feature, as well as a chiaroscuro-esque use of directional light which radiates into and out of both objects and people. These surreal, dramatic dreamscapes strike an interesting balance between peace and power that is somewhat reminiscent of Afrofuturist aesthetics. This balance is further echoed in Santangelo’s choice of material and marks, with a mix of looser, gestural marks complimenting perfectly rendered found imagery. The sketchy feel of these works helps the surface and ground to breathe, with chaotic brushstrokes and visible pencil sketches hinting at the energy contained within the human mind and hand.