Laura Rozenberg

If Art creates from what it knows, then collagist Laura Rozenberg is an artist in the truest sense of the word. A long-time East Hampton resident who was born in Argentina, she communicates her love and knowledge of her country’s people and culture in this charming, thought-provoking photographic series, “Mi Buenos Aires”.

“I am not a person who can sit in one place and do one thing,” says Rozenberg, whose life travels have propelled her from biology to science writing to journalism, even as she has been dogged by the creative muse at every step. She describes taking hundreds of photographs during frequent visits to her beloved city, concentrating on one particular area: La Boca, meaning “Mouth of the Rio de la Plata (Silver river).” On their own these depictions of the poverty-stricken neighborhood (a brightly painted clapboard wall, a single bulb burning through an open window, a filled clothesline) would be compelling enough. But Rozenberg has taken the medium a step further, incorporating three-dimensional cloth figures, affixing them to the neighborhood backdrop. These tiny dolls are common in Argentina, and are sold as souvenirs. In this case the artist has crafted them herself, making each one completely individual, even as each resident of La Boca possesses singular dreams, hopes, aspirations, fears. “I want them to look like the people of La Boca,” says Rozenberg. “I want my pictures to look like the heart of Buenos Aires.”

One of Rozenberg’s inspirations is the revered Argentinean painter Milo Lockett, whose primitive yet riveting figure depictions echo Rozenberg’s tiny figurines: a surface naivete through which shines the complexity of the human spirit; joy in the face of searing poverty, humor in the face of tragedy.

Laura Rozenberg lives with her husband in East Hampton.

New Paintings

Laura Rozenberg is back this year with her new series of mystical flower paintings. Rozenberg found her inspiration for these paintings while attending a writer's workshop in the gardens of Diana Bellessi's estate in Buenos Aires. Bellessi, a well-known Argentine poet, has won many prestigious rewards including a Guggenheim Fellowship. There was something about the gardens that stayed with Rozenberg after the workshop and she began work on this new series immediately. These highly detailed and textural paintings are a change for Rozenberg, whose past works at Kramoris Gallery included mostly collage work. Each painting is overflowing with flowers that seem to be literally bursting off the canvas, each with their own unique and detailed background. With their bright colors and unique details, these paintings leave the viewer with a sense of awe and fascination.

Collages