Been meaning to say something about Rosso for a few weeks now, she’s an artist who’s been exciting us over the early months of 2016….

London-based artist Rosso has had an interesting year so far. She’s a painter, emerging isn’t a term we like, one of those (mostly meaningless) terms that the art media tends to throws around carelessly,  Rosso really has been emerging though, she’s an emerging  blossoming artist and she’s emerging in a rather exciting way, her paint is flowing, her paintings are getting bolder by the week, Rosso is an exciting emerging London-based painter who quite rightly is starting to enjoy a little bit of well deserved attention.

We’d almost forgotten Rosso had taken part in one of our Cultivate group shows down Vyner Street a couple of years ago when we invited her to be part of a recent Cultivated show called Debaser over in Dalston, down in the BSMT Space basement.  Apparently that show down in Vyner Street back in the Spring of 2014 when fellow painter and Cultivate curator Emma Harvey invited her to be part of a wall of art for International Women’s Day was Rosso’s first gallery appearance in London.

When it came to pulling together Debaser, we went back and took a look through the big long (long) list of links to artists who have been involved in previous Cultivate shows, the recent work Rosso was producing jumped straight out from her electronic page. Bigger, bolder, alive with a growing confidence, a self-awareness, a touch of style and an exciting blend of sexuality, inner city life, gender positivity, a touch of humour, a large slice of humanity, bold paintings laced with hints of the flavours that come with the more forward looking aspects of street art without ever falling in to the traps that so much street art does, exciting painting, exciting portraits, beautiful paint work, delicious mark-making, exciting….

So the invite went out and Rosso joined sixteen other artists down in the BSMT Space basement for Debaser: “a cross-pollination of artistic style, the more adventurous side of street art jousting with contemporary fine artists, print makers, performers and more. A group show and once again a gathering of pro-active artists”

Loved the piece Rosso brought to Debaser, lover her attitude as well, so when it came to my recent solo show in that East London railway arch at Fount the invite went out again.  Policy is to always invite others to make use of space on one wall at any of my solo shows, and for this show (Sometimes They Have Thorns), Rosso was invited to join the rather forthright street art of ThisOne, the wordry of Quiet British Accent and the beautifully detailed printmaking textures of Lynne Blackburn on the wall.  Rosso brought another bold painting to the show, and while all that was happening she was also busy catching an eye or two over in Islington, at the Arts Factory, where another of her recent paintings, another strikingly bold piece called Madame Moustache has just won the 2016 Emerald Winter Pride Art Award

“The artist Rosso has won the 2016 Emerald prize at the Winter Pride Art Awards. The piece titled, Madame Moustache was overwhelming chosen by the judges.  This year’s theme was ‘Line of Beauty’ – exploring sexuality, gender and identity. The result was announced yesterday evening at a packed and buzzing Open View launched by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.

Peter Tatchell said “The Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards is an example of how art can help shape people’s attitudes towards the LGBT+ community. Don’t accept the world as it is. Dream about what the world could be – then help make it happen.”

Headline sponsor, Emerald’s CEO Heidi McCormack announced Sicilian artist Rosso as the overall Winner for her painting Madame Moustache and awarded Rosso a trophy and £1,000 Prize Money.” (so reported Artlyst)

Now I’m not a big fan of art prizes and judges choosing which and what and who and all that stuff, but I am fast becoming a fan of Rosso and her bold punky attitude, her delicious use of paint, her portraiture, her exploring, there’s an exciting painter emerging here, there’s some exciting artists around if you go out and look for them, good art excites us, punky energy excites us, Rosso is exciting us, go check her paintings out, in the flesh is where you need to see them, rather pleased to see Rosso emerging, rather pelased ot have featured her in a couple of recent shows…   (sw)

ROSSO

click on an image to enlarge or run the slide show