Monica DeSalvo
Photo by Lee Pellegrini
Monica DeSalvo’s work is inspired by the individual and collective journeys she shared with her late father as he navigated dementia. Caring for him in his final years prompted DeSalvo to use mixed media and collage to preserve his insightful perspectives and illustrate vignettes of their experiences. A key part of her process is printing onto his paper memorabilia—related to his engineering education and career—using a Gelli plate to create monotypes, which she then incorporates into her work. DeSalvo’s compositions are often segmented or constructed as diptychs, reflecting the caregiving dyad, the dueling realities of a fragmented mind, or the space between this world and what lies ahead. Through her process, she plays with exposing and camouflaging elements, revealing multiple storylines. This visual exploration fortifies DeSalvo’s abstract imagery, providing both direction and purpose, and her multi-step, layered work results in what she calls “visual duets.”
Monica DeSalvo is a Boston-based mixed-media artist and designer with a BFA in Visual Design from the University of Massachusetts. Her work has been featured in juried and invitational exhibitions and publications such as Suboart, Juniper Rag, and Artscope magazines. In 2024, she participated in her first artist residency at the Kolaj Institute in Sanquhar, Scotland. Her 2023 solo show, A Bus Tour in the Woods: Visual Duets with Her Father, was held at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts, and she was interviewed for the Dementia Spring Foundation’s Artist Spotlight. Monica lives and works in Arlington, MA.
Additional work can be found at Desalvo’s website <monicadesalvo.com> and Instagram account.
Fountain Street Exhibitions: “Mom & Pop,” “Form and Emptiness,” “Beyond Words”, “The Momentary,” “Divergent Thinking”, “Annex Show October 2018”, “Limitless Translations.”
Purchase Monica DeSalvo's work by contacting us directly at director@fsfaboston.com. DeSalvo's work is also available for purchase on 1stdibs.com.
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More about Fountain Street Artists:
Boston Art Review | Shira Laucharoen