Artwork (or artist ) that changed your life and why?
In the mid-1990s I moved to LA and one of the first exhibitions I saw was work by Annette Messager at LACMA. I found her work to be beautiful, mysterious, odd, and disturbing. She created these amazing installations using knitted materials, fabric and photography. I was completely affected by her work. I just remember being under these strange forms hanging from the ceiling and just wanting to stay still. I still remember this experience so vividly. It was the first time I really thought about the possibilities of art making and definitely questioning the meaning of “art.”
When did you first know you wanted to be an artist? That is a funny question. As a child I liked to do two things: lie and pretend. I liked to think of myself as a storyteller, but I was mostly a liar. I would spend hours with my sister creating stories and then acting them out. My sister didn’t like playing “pretend” with me. I would tell her she wasn’t pretending right and make her do it over again. I still love telling stories...to straddle the lines between fiction and non-fiction. So much hasn’t really changed, except that now I call myself an “artist.”
In the mid-1990s I moved to LA and one of the first exhibitions I saw was work by Annette Messager at LACMA. I found her work to be beautiful, mysterious, odd, and disturbing. She created these amazing installations using knitted materials, fabric and photography. I was completely affected by her work. I just remember being under these strange forms hanging from the ceiling and just wanting to stay still. I still remember this experience so vividly. It was the first time I really thought about the possibilities of art making and definitely questioning the meaning of “art.”
When did you first know you wanted to be an artist? That is a funny question. As a child I liked to do two things: lie and pretend. I liked to think of myself as a storyteller, but I was mostly a liar. I would spend hours with my sister creating stories and then acting them out. My sister didn’t like playing “pretend” with me. I would tell her she wasn’t pretending right and make her do it over again. I still love telling stories...to straddle the lines between fiction and non-fiction. So much hasn’t really changed, except that now I call myself an “artist.”
What do you like about making art in Los Angeles? I like meeting other artists and discovering how they look at the world or understanding their artistic process. In LA there is a sense of “do- it- yourself” resilience that I just love. Galleries close and artists open up their homes and create other spaces to show work. Times are difficult but I also see artists supporting each other and creating a much stronger art community.
What do you dislike about making art in Los Angeles? I suppose it has to be the economic realities of having to work a day job and not spending more time in the studio. So it takes a real commitment…a commitment to the work, to keep working and to push the work in new directions.
Favorite Books, Films, Food?
Books: Writings by Agnes Martin (constantly re-reading), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Accidental Masterpiece by Michael Kimmelman, Willful Creatures by Amiee Bender, Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson.
films: The Red Balloon, Harold & Maude and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.
food: Nabeyaki Udon, Korean BBQ and Indian Food.
films: The Red Balloon, Harold & Maude and The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant.
food: Nabeyaki Udon, Korean BBQ and Indian Food.
Favorite website? Pandora Radio.
Best art advice? Trust your artistic process and keep working.
Come and see Rochelle's world in our closet. Yesterday's Combover is on view until May 30!