Jana Marie Cariddi

Jana Marie Cariddi

American, lives and works in Berlin, Germany

Joy and darkness are heavily woven into Jana’s work. There is an exterior (a hot pink background with water droplets) that reminds us how a kitchen is a part to a whole. With so many items to view, there is an unexpected feeling of isolation. It’s not that the kitchen looks unkempt, but rather it feels congested. Eating disorders, manic depression, and loneliness are key topics in Jana’s work. Jana’s particular use of flat surfaces and playful colors deliberately bring out the kitchen’s dual properties: comfort/inviting and painful/frightening.

For Jana, the Kitchen with Yellow Umbrella is an object and not merely a representation. Jana casts a femme-surrealist dimension to the spaces in observation, giving these topics a humorous and light articulation. Elizabeth Murray, Lily Van Der Stokker and Yayoi Kusama are a few artists Jana draws inspiration from.