Re: History

Artist Statement

I am a figurative artist inspired by the art historical documentation of people, places and material considered important and descriptive of a certain time. My fascination with re-presenting the past is two-fold: a means to memorialize for visual splendor and to reflect on what we find most precious. I am primarily an oil painter but have begun to expand my practice to include three-dimensional media. My latest piece includes a three-dimensional installation in an intentionally more direct feminist feeling. I am re-visiting my roots with fashion design, textiles and fabric construction to create this piece.

The style I developed has been referred to as “magical realism.” I believe the juxtaposition of “real” elements with “man-made” material such as jewelry or decorative motifs creates that feeling. My paintings also take on many moods from irreverent to serious to over-the-top visually decadent. No matter how my work evolves, art historical inspiration is a constant for centering my thoughts on who I am and the current state of the world around me. My artwork is never quite traditional, and I wish my viewer to experience elements of the past and present, along with the promise of something new.

Lisa Ficarelli-Halpern is an award-winning American figurative artist living and working in the New York metropolitan area. She is best known for re-contextualizing art-historical images within a contemporary setting. Her work has been shown extensively in galleries and museums, including the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, the Zhou B. Art Center in Chicago, and the Noyes Museum, New Jersey State Museum, Monmouth Museum, and the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. She is a recipient of a New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship for 2022. Her work has been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur, Poets and Artists, FreshPaint and Studio Visit Magazines. Lisa holds a BFA from Parsons The School for Design and MFA from New Jersey City University.