Elisa Rossi

Biography

Elisa Rossi is an Italian/American artist based in Los Angeles and uses different mediums (oil, acrylic, charcoal, pastels) to create expressive artworks that fluctuate between figuration and abstraction.
The metamorphic imagery invites the viewer into a personal exploration of alternative, parallel worlds.

She experiences the creative process as a tantric practice that aims at finding balance between polarities, in particular between control, planned composition, structure on one side and the surrendering to the moment and the unfolding of the medium itself on the other.
Alchemy, magic, spiritual quantum physics, sounds, dreams and ancient teachings deeply impact her subject investigation and process.

She has been exhbiting her work in Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Madrid.
One of her paitnings, 'So Far So Close', is part of the Copelouzos Family private collection in Athens.

What’s your background?

I grew up surrounded by art in a small town in Northern Italy; I received classical piano education since age 5.

My current practice and style derive mostly from self-taught processes.

What does it mean to you to win the Collectors Art Prize?

 It’s a honor to receive the Art Prize and I was very surprised when I received it. I have working very hard in the past years to challenge my techniques and fine tuning my message through art. Winning the prize gives me hope and encouragement towards even further challenges to grow and also the hope to connect with people who can be affected by my work.

What do you think is the role of art in the world today?

Today as since the beginning of civilization I believe art plays the role of capturing the depths of individuals and consequently the zeitgeist of a collective during a specific time frame.

There are many categories of art communities that come with diverse  roles and they all deeply impact the universal balance and sentiment.

Some art groups or trends  gift us with an intimate glimpse into psychological and emotional states that bind all people to some extent; others want to denounce injustices and contribute to collective ‘awakening’ and they invite communities to take a stand, take actions; others are devotional, contemplative, they want to remind all of us about  the mystery of life, existence, cycles.

The common denominator among these many hats that art wears is the intention and the ability to create a psychological, emotional, intellectual, even physical and spiritual impact, to cause change, elevate the human condition, connect, awake, challenge, soften, giving depths to the current times. Of course this is not exhaustive and just a fragment of what I believe the role of art to be.

What would it be if you could change one thing about the art world?

I see the art world as an organic, metamorphic  macro organism that results from history, societal, cultural, intellectual, spiritual factors.

I wouldn’t change the art world. 

What I can put my focus on is  changing what I do and how I do it; that could have a wider impact and  generate a ripple effect that might change some dynamics in the art world or just introduce some new perspectives.

What are your most significant professional achievements?

I see as the most significant professional achievement, personally, the evolution of my practice and the resilience that is required to continue on this path.

Some external professional achievements that made me happy are having one of my paintings as part of the Colapezous Private Collection Museum in Athens; having shown multiple times in Los Angeles at a gallery that I truly admire ; having won the first prize of the Doncaster Art Fair contest ‘Art As A Response To Mental Health 2021’.

What do you wish to tell viewers about your work that might not come out explicitly? What do you hope to inspire with your artwork?

I would hope that my artwork inspires softness and an opening of the heart in the viewers. Some implicit messages of my artwork are transmuting suffering and life threatening experiences into strength, excitement, connection to Life; listening to the Pauses; connecting with the Unseen; realizing that there are other Beings with each of us the whole time and we are never really severed from everything else and isolated as it seems sometimes at a superficial level.

What advice would you give to the upcoming generation of artists?

To go deeper within themselves before stretching too far without.

Each person has a unique gift, like a hidden pearl embedded in him/herself. To find that pearl it takes inner work and sharp awareness. Going after recognition before having developed a strong awareness can create confusion and delusion. 

In what direction would you like to see your career go in the next five years?

You are being very optimistic about my projected mortality (laugh). Well, if I am graced with the chance of being here 5 years from now I would like to see my career as an  internationally showing artist engaged in  several intertwined activities between the art production and projects of service to communities and causes. I have the ambitious goal to also create a piano song for each of my artworks. In a way I would like to see my career in the 5 years becoming a mirror, or better a kaleidoscope of all the different facets that my creativity assumes.

Country United States

Website www.elisarossiart.com