Jo Rosenthal

Jo Rosenthal

jo-rosenthal-1.jpg

How would you describe your aesthetic?
Aesthetic is such a funny word to describe how I express myself, so I consider my style to be 70's grandma with a 90's frazzled teenager twist.

jo-rosenthal-2.jpg

Are there any other artists whose work you take inspiration in?
I take a lot of inspiration from Gordon Matta-Clark, Mimi Goese, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Fairfield Porter and Laurie Anderson at the moment. I'm generally drawn to extraordinarily emotional people with fascinating backstories.

jo-rosenthal-3.jpg

How do you prepare for new projects you involve in?
All of my work centres around emotional experiences that I go through or have witnessed the people around me go through so I try and do a lot of research by looking at old sketchbooks and journals to remember how I was feeling during a specific time in my life. Sometimes it's a long process but with my writing work, I'm extremely impulsive so when I feel something I just write it down and don't ever question it.

jo-rosenthal-4.jpg

What kind of link is important between language and viewing medias?
I'm sort of unsure how to answer this but I think that it's important to remember that social media is only a very small aspect of a persons life so to me, it's important to be as true to your actual self as you can be.

jo-rosenthal-5.jpg

How has being from Miami has influenced your work?
It's funny because I feel like whenever I tell anyone I'm from Miami they are really surprised because I guess I don't seem like I'm from there. I had a really difficult time growing up and keeping friends and trying to figure out who I am. Now that I'm older, I've realized that I get a lot of influence from specific parts of Miami like Art Deco architecture, The Highway Men and this incredibly talented artist that I know named Naomi Fisher.

jo-rosenthal-6.jpg

What is a message behind your Art?
I think one of the main messages behind my art is to try and show people that it's okay to be emotional and expressive. If you're feeling a certain way, I think it's always best to express that and not keep it bottled up. I have always been able to get over things in a healthier way by creating artwork around them. If I have the power to express myself through art, I'm always going to do it in the most honest and real way that I know.

jo-rosenthal-7.jpg
 

Images courtesy of Jo Rosenthal

interview DAGMARA SZARLATA 

 

 

More to read

Erik Mowinckel

Erik Mowinckel

Paraphilia

Paraphilia