Rosso’s art revolves around femininity and her identity as a woman in our contemporary society. The female figures are predominant in her paintings and are placed within imaginary, timeless spaces made up of dreams, childhood memories and pure fantasies. Through portraiture and self-portraiture especially, Rosso explores and addresses feelings and taboos connected to gender identity, sexuality, beauty, relationships, motherhood or the simple politics of everyday life.
Rosso uses her emotions in portraying vivid colours, textures and the creation of complex scenes with an extensive use of symbols, drawn from both contemporary urban folklore and more ancient cultural heritage. Deeply fascinated by classicism, Rosso attempts to emulate a contemporary version of realism that is still rooted in the traditional artistic techniques and methods. Painting mainly with oil, she adapts her process according to her thematic subjects and her mood, varying from a quick energetic and spontaneous "alla prima" painting style, to more carefully planned and laid out compositions which are built in layers over time.
Born in Sicily (1978), Rosso lives in London since 2004. Primarily self-taught, she trained briefly at the Prince Drawing School and at LARA (London Atelier of Representational Art) in London and has been painting full time since 2016. She won the “Emerald Winter Pride Art Award” in 2016 and “The Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize 2017”. In 2018, Rosso was selected for “Sky Portrait Artist of The Year 2019”. She has also displayed work across London such as at Mall Galleries, Bloomsbury, The Strand Gallery and currently some of her work is displayed at Zebra One gallery and The Underdog gallery in London.
Competitions and Awards
Selected for “Sky Portrait Artist of The Year 2019”
Shortlisted for Artist of The Year 2018 (Artists and Illustrator - 2018)
WINNER of the Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize 2017 (June 2017)
WINNER of the Emerald Winter Pride Art Awards 2016 (March 2016)
Selected for "IT"S ART" call collective exhibition, D-Contemporary & The Cult House (London, September 2016)
Arts Depot Open 2014, finalist (London, April 2014)
Solo Exhibition (2018)
The Art Space, Cass Art, Islington, London, (June 2018 - part of the Holly Bush Painter Prize 2017)
Selected Group Exhibition (2014 – 2018)
Artist of The Year 2018, Mall Galleries, London (Feb 2018)
AWE, Art Women and Evolution, The Bloosmbury, Bloosmbury, London (Feb 2018)
WIA women in art, Peggy Jay Gallery, Burgh House, Hampstead, London (June-July 2017).
"Flux", The Old Truman Brewery, London (November 2017)
"The Londoner Compass", The Strand Gallery, London (October 2017)
"WITP", The Strand Gallery, London (October 2017)
"Tribe16", Chrom Art, The Ugly Duck, London (October 2017)
"It's Art Exhibition", D-Contemporary, Mayfair, London, (September 2017)
"Debased", Cultivate collective, BSMT space, London (September 2017)
"The Human Figure: Myth and Storytelling", The Gallery, Stoke Newington, London (July 2017)
"Summer Salon", Islington Art Factory, London (June 2017)
"Solar", Nude Tin Can Gallery, St Albans (June 2017)
"Emerald Life Winter Pride Art Awards", winner, Islington Art Factory, London (April 2016)
"Homunculus", Asylum, London (January 2016)
“ICADF 2015”, Islington Contemporary Art & Design Fair, London (November 2015)
"Don't Look Now", S'A collective, Ikletic Lab, London (October 2015)
“Painting & Sculpture”, Candid Art Gallery, London (June 2015)
“Portraits”, Espacio gallery, London (April 2015)
“Outsider Art Exhibition”, Candid Art Gallery, London (March 2015)
“Royal Art in the World – Italian and Foreign Contemporary Art”, ROA Royal Opera Arcade, London (2014)
“NOT the Royal Academy”, Llewellyn Alexander Gallery, London (June-August, 2014)
“Artsdepot Open 2014”, Artsdepot, London, (April, 2014)
