Godeleine de Rosamel: Life Forms
The European illustrator swaps children’s books for ceramics in her latest exhibition
by Eva Glettner
Though Godeleine de Rosamel currently resides in Los Angeles, she is most well known abroad. In her new show, “
Life Forms,” on view at LA’s Giant Robot gallery, exhibits work that is every bit as fun and interesting as her illustrations that grace children’s books throughout France and Belgium. The only thing that has changed is the medium; which is why the title is so fitting. Swapping the printed page for sculpture, her ceramics seem to come alive, and Giant Robot is up to the task of showcasing and harnessing this energy.
This dichotomy is a metaphor for de Rosamel’s entire art process. She basks in anonymity and yet works as a creative powerhouse. She manipulates her images from paper and translates them into three dimensions at her pottery studio. She might make it look easy, but de Rosamel stresses that inspiration doesn’t always strike. “Sometimes I have an idea, sometimes I don’t, but I will just sketch and sketch until I get something promising I can start with. Then I play with the clay to see how I can translate or adapt it in three dimensions. It doesn’t always work,” she tells CH.
Inspired by her surroundings, de Rosamel is constantly scanning her environment for elements she can incorporate into her work. Shapes, textures and colors can come from anywhere, “as long as the mind is alert enough to capture all the clues surrounding us,” she says. De Rosamel’s new solo show is a shift from her previous works. Some of her older works are not on view, because according to the artist, they are now “extinct.” The new species are built differently; the bodies are less technical, and “more primitive or direct.” Whereas de Rosamel’s older pieces are smooth and rounded, her newer art is more tangible, with distinct bumps and grooves. The artist’s handiwork has evolved and continues to evolve with each new species.
Godeleine de Rosamel‘s “
Life Forms” is currently on-view at Giant Robot in LA through 1 April 2015.
Images courtesy of Godeleine de Rosamel and Giant Robot
