A resident of both New Jersey and Vermont, Toni-Lee Sangastiano received her M.F.A. from Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is also an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Fairleigh Dickinson University, where her interest in unusual acts of extreme human endurance first began with the creation of sideshow banners for Coney Island. Intense historical research and the creation of countless banners over a period of several years subsequently led to a transition from the traditional sideshow banner format to the depiction of unusual acts in a more symbolic and representational manner, exposing the genuine significance of the performance and exploring what is means to be human.

Sangastiano also teaches at Champlain College, Community College of Vermont and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

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Artist Statement related to the series: The Sideshow Gathering

Mr. Pennygaff, George the Giant, Crispy, Lokey, Roderick Russell, Mystic
Marlow, Red Stuart, Insectivora and Tyler Fyre are all real and all alive, on
the inside. Watch as they socialize together and ingest the only substance
available to them, in the middle of no where, in the darkness of night, after a
long day at the Sideshow Gathering. An unprecedented event of freaks, oddities
and personalities commune at this diner after the Sideshow Gathering.
With the exception of a few visible differences, everyone seated at the table
appears normal. Most are not even aware of the present company they keep dining
a few feet away. Is Insectivora dining on her daily dose of meal worms, or will
Mr. Pennygaff suddenly choose to down twenty-six inches of cold hard steel for
dinner instead? Given the current state of the sideshow, the scene is
reminiscent of a skewed Last Supper of oddities or a group of 19th century
outcasts at a Parisian café. This intimate scene is one few will ever witness
and it is in great contrast with their stage personalities.

When these performers are on stage we gaze in disbelief, excitement or disgust
at the seemingly preternatural acts that they perform and the seeming
unpredictability of their chosen lifestyles. Questioning and crossing over
boundaries, the lifestyle of the sideshow performer is one of extremes which
explores the age old themes of pain and pleasure, reality and illusion and of the beautiful and grotesque. The extreme nature of the acts that they perform demonstrates that boundaries can be broken through courage, strength, discipline and utilization of the mind to overcome both mental and physical obstacles.

Their performances are extraordinary. The intimate moments in their daily lives
are ordinary. Both are part of a myriad of moments that occur in each
performer’s life. I choose to focus on their offstage lives. Having painted
sideshow banners for both performers and collectors, this current body of work
fulfills my need to explore human nature and dig further beyond the literal.

Photographs, sketches, small scale models and studies in both acrylic and oil
are all created prior to working on large paintings. Multiple panels are chosen
in various sizes to create an asymmetrical whole. The panels reflect multiple
moments experienced by each performer, which in turn are part of a grander
interpersonal experience. Certain planes recede while others come to the fore,
further emphasizing the mosaic nature, fractured reality and breaking of
boundaries. Multidimensional planes in combination with manipulated images and
reflections blur the line between illusion and reality and encourage the viewer
to go beyond the literal.