My work investigates the cycle of growing up, consuming, and being consumed. I'm interested in navigating the tension between the body and identity, shaped by negotiating pressures of expectation and desire. Cake is a perfect metaphor for the self as a curated object, existing between control and collapse. Whimsical and unsettling, my glitter frosting coats dismembered limbs of women and animals, creating figures that dissolve and reassemble in metamorphosis. By drawing inspiration from my childhood, my work becomes a reflection of memory and the construction of identity. Through my grotesquely dreamlike compositions, I explore selfhood as something constantly being shaped and remade.

Arielle Tesoriero (b. 1997) is a multidisciplinary artist from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, currently based in New York City. She has exhibited with Steven Zevitas Gallery, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), and The Untitled Space. In 2022, she was awarded the Kylemore Abbey Artist Residency and was a finalist for the New American Paintings Emerging Artist Grant. Her work has been featured in publications including New American Paintings and The Untitled Magazine. Tesoriero has exhibited across the United States and internationally, and holds an MFA from the New York Academy of Art.