Hannah Rosenbaum
Painter based in Nipmuc land, Massachusetts
ABOUT
Hannah Rosenbaum (she/they) is a self-taught artist and musician living on occupied Nipmuc land (“Western Massachussetts”). She attended CUNY Hunter College for Vocal Performance and has self-released 3 albums with her current project Sodada. Hannah also plays keyboards in the band Old Flame. Hannah’s artwork has been exhibited through Easthampton Cultural Council and Gateway City Arts Small Works Gallery.
ARTIST STATEMENT
This current body of work was born from the events of 2020 and has been a way for me to process everything- personal injury, job loss, COVID-19, a civil rights revolution, climate change, and an intense election year all created a boiling pot of emotions which needed a release. The work has themes around isolation, surrender to nature, transcendental spiritual awakening, feeling safe/unsafe, sitting in discomfort, feeling lost and found, and a shared collective state of this past year. The Moon has frequently served as a subject when I need one; to me, she represents a feeling of unconditional love and sense of purpose, a feeling of being "home." This work has allowed me to explore worlds of color and light to exist in, pure emotion to come through my hands, and way to flow through an emotional state. It has allowed me to find myself through it. Some paintings are composed of several layers of palette knife strokes with acrylic paint, while others consist of layers of synthetic resin and acrylic paint. Some of the work have been digital creations. My creative process is at the intersection of visual imagery and sound, drawing on the common emotions between them. The visual and musician selves influence one another, and my paintings capture the multitude of dimensions and patterns of energy inspired by what I experience in music and in nature. In creating this work, I’m finding moments of stillness within the chaos of the world. Not just finding the moments, but listening to them, allowing the piece to guide me in its own creation.
Website: hannahrosenbaumartwork.com
Instagram: @hani.rosenbaum