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Tom Zarrilli, “The Mysterious Mirror of Mr. Wain,” 2014

An Exhibition at the Decatur Arts Alliance Gallery  |  May 8 – June 13
113 Clairemont Ave., Downtown Decatur
Opening Reception: Friday, May 8, 6-8 pm
On View: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 am-4 pm

Purr, Dreams of Everyday House Cats, features paintings by Tom Zarrilli, an Atlanta-based artist, photographer and children’s librarian. The series depicts the fanciful dreams and fantasies of Zarrilli’s cats Joey and Petey. The work also pays homage to a variety of artists ranging from Rousseau to Wain who have influenced Zarrilli throughout his life.

About Tom

A long-time Atlanta resident, Tom Zarrilli has exhibited art throughout the US for the past ten years. He has written about and extensively documented roadside memorials and yard sales. His conceptual works include A Year in the Yards of Clutter, an interactive installation that functioned as a yard sale, and Grand Lago de Atlanta, a proposal to replace Atlanta’s expressways with a large lake. Purr is the first solo exhibition of his paintings in Atlanta.

Artist statement

“My initial motivation when I began this series was to capture what I envisioned as the dreams and fantasies of my two housebound cats Petey and Joey. Each work appears as part of a story but it is up to the viewer to decide how they flow and fit together.

The series also marks my transition from a documentary photographer and conceptual artist to a painter. To mark the transition I have sought to continue the humor and novelty of my photographic and conceptual work in my painted images. In the work I also have paid homage to the visual artists ranging from Louis Wain to John Stuart Curry who inspired me over the years. I created these paintings seeking to humor, entertain and allow my obsession with my cats to run wild.”

Home page image: Tom Zarrilli, “In the Peaceable Kingdom,” 2014

 

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