Established in January 2020, Sub Rosa began as a digital journal dedicated to highlighting points of inspiration—a reflection of the systematic groundwork behind one’s practice. Within these pages, you’ll find the people, objects, moments, locations, and histories that have motivated me.
All views are my own.
Chronicles | October - December 2021
From The High Line to Fair Park, Laura Owen's mosaic at Laguardia Airport, details of artwork at the MoMA, The Noguchi Museum, The Whitney, Ciara Elle Bryant at The MAC, and Virgil Abloh.
My intent for Sub Rosa is to provide access to curated information centered on art and activism. Valuing my time as an artist, I’ve been thinking of a way to offer readers the choice to pay for my chronicles. Below is an option to support my project for as little as $1 one time or however you’re comfortable.
Hi there,
I’ve got no words other than this, just images I’ve taken the past three months as I aim to take life day by day. A click on the pictures will direct you to a corresponding article.
Happy New Year.
- A
Fair Park Closing Day, 2021
I?NY, Laura Owens, 2020.
Aristide Mailloll, The River, Begun 1939; completed 1943
Bird Song, 1925 & Downward Pulling #2, 1972 by Isamu Noguchi
Unknown Title, Alexander Calder
Crime Suspect, Gordon Parks, 1957
The Migration Series, Jacob Lawrence, 1940-41
Hope II, Gustav Klimt, 1907-08
Little Id, 1970 by Isamu Noguchi
Akari Light Sculpture by Isamu Noguchi
Jacob’s Ladder, Helen Frankenthaler, 1957
Off-White’s, Virgil Abloh, 2021
Gaea, Lee Krasner, 1966
SERVER: Lova Ta, Love Ya’, Ciara Elle Bryant, 2021
Cupboard VIII, Simone Leigh, 2018
All images © Alexandra Hulsey
Chronicles | December 2020
A 2020 sign off that includes the power of creating change, painting’s relationship with photography, Ed Rucha’s iconography, an art chapel, and otherwordly fashion.
A R T
Confronting White Supremacy
“When institutions started posting their own #BlackLivesMatter statements following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, it was the last straw for some who had experienced and tried to address racism at those same workplaces.”
- From Catherine Wagley’s article for ARTnews
Seeing work put towards dismantling the system has been motivating. One way to change this space is by exposing it. ARTnews has published an article that covers who, how, and why people are coming forward with their experiences. Anonymity has been a tool used by Instagram pages like @changethemuseum. Although overwhelming, the quantity of testimonials has resulted in revisions. “The Instagram Account ‘Change the Museum’ Is Doing Just That” published by Vulture delves into specific ways speaking up has caused action. Holding ourselves accountable to address injustice is something we can all do on a personal level. Whether it's in public, online anonymously, a phone call, email, at your place of work, or wherever, be sure to show up and speak up because it makes a difference.
Correlating Painting and Photography
I’ve saved “Irving Penn’s Lyrical Paintings” published by AnOther as a reference for painting to inform my photography practice. His photography career at Vogue spanned over sixty years. In 1984 Penn’s work was exhibited in a retrospective at the MoMA.
“While delving into his archives, Penn rediscovered early works on paper that he had made between 1939 and 1942, while he was a young illustrator working for Harper’s Bazaar – a job that allowed him to save up enough money to buy his very first camera. Following the MoMA exhibition, Penn returned to his young love, and started to draw and paint as a way to reconnect to the creative spirit that fuelled his life’s work in the final decades of his 70-year career.”
- From Miss Rosen’s article for AnOther
How Icons Transition from Contemporary Signifiers to Historic Relics
“Ed Ruscha and Five Signposts of American Symbolism” published by AnOther lists Ruscha’s “definitive cultural signposts” as:
Swimming Pools
Palm Trees
Cars
Gas Stations
Signage
His work that includes awareness of these signposts for American culture makes me more observant of how icons are eventually replaced. There are some obvious answers to this but, I wonder what five definitive cultural signposts would be listed now and if any of Rucha’s should remain.
Spirituality and Art
Louise Nevelson’s monochromatic sculptures made of recycled materials are recognizable. If in Dallas, you can see three of her piece’s hung alongside the second story of Nordstrom’s at NorthPark Mall. The Nevelson Chapel opened in 1977 commissioned by Saint Peters Church and is located at 619 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022. Conservation efforts are currently underway.
“Nevelson Chapel is really a story about the city of New York,” Jared R. Stahler, the church’s pastor, told Artnet News. “Nevelson collected all of her objects and broken pieces of wood from the streets of New York and put them together and made these grand forms and gave them new life. Using things that other people would just discard, she created real beauty. I fell in love with the place. I was going through a very difficult time and visiting the chapel gave me a really important perspective. It gave me a sense of hope.”
- From Sarah Cascone’s article for Artnet News
F A S H I O N
Fashion’s Limitations Prevent Innovation
Beate Karlsson’s garments are created with the vision of “belonging in a future imaginary world where there are less norm-driven preconceptions” (from Natashah Hitti’s article for Deezen). Karlsson Describes her garments as fictional fashion. Her work reminds me of Maurcie Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. She creates these sculptural silicone pieces because she’s concerned that imitation has replaced innovation. This prompts me to question when my fashion choices are mine and, when they’re decided for me.
M U S I C
MF Doom the Anti-Hero
Unbeknownst to his fans until yesterday’s announcement, MF Doom had passed away October 31st. His namesake was inspired by the Marvel character Dr. Doom, a chrome masked supervillain. “He spit bars with playful and twisted intricacy, grounded by his own classic soul- and funk-sampling production.” - Lars Gotrich for NPR. Utilizing the mask, MF Doom would sometimes have imposters take the stage in his place, all a part of this complex character he created. As an example of his innovative take on music and performance, in a 2009 interview he told Rolling Stones Magazine:
“I tell you one thing: when you come to a Doom show, come expecting to hear music, don’t come expecting to see. You never know who you might see. It has nothing to do with a visual thing. Use your mind and think. I might be there. Next time I do a show, I might tell everybody to close they eyes. Use your own mind’s eye. That’s better than a camera phone, know what I’m sayin’?"