Rich Tomasello (b. 1978)

As an artist, Rich Tomasello explores many topical issues and injustices. He is an art teacher at Kenmore West High School and has exhibited his art around the country. This work was selected from his solo exhibition at Buffalo Art Movement (BAM!) titled RUN. HIDE. FIGHT. / New Work by Rich Tomasello, presented July 16-August 27, 2021. Concerned about the way that children are introduced to war, weaponry, gender stereotypes, and other issues, Tomasello created mock packaging and toys to drive home the point that adults need to be cognizant that their messaging influences young minds, which can have detrimental effects. His series RHINO TOYS® is “inspired, in part, by the play Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco,” the 1959 absurdist play that has been interpreted as a critical response to mob mentality, the rise of Fascism and Nazism before World War II, conformity, and morality. BAM!’s website states that “Rich Tomasello's work explores concepts such as masculinity, violence, control, peer pressure, and conformity.” He states: 

The mixed media art that I create is greatly influenced by the world around me. For several years my art has specifically addressed the loss of innocence.

Memories from my childhood, current events, the toy industry, advertising for children specific to gender, and social justice are topics that appear in my work.

Whether it’s a stereotypical advertisement for a girl, which I parody in "Girls Gas Mask" or breathing tubes and gas masks addressing police violence and black lives in America, my work aims to shine a light on injustice.

-Nancy Weekly