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Samantha Rosenwald

For Samantha Rosenwald’s debut solo exhibition at JDJ, the artist created a suite of paintings that reflect a narrative taking place within the interior of an apartment building.

Installation View, Samantha Rosenwald: Cellar Door, JDJ the Ice House, Garrison, NY, 2022

Samantha Rosenwald
Apt.316 Demonic Entry Point, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
16 x 15 inches

Cellar Door consists of largely monochromatic colored pencil on canvas works that reveal voyeuristic glimpses into domestic interior spaces.

The occupants, including the artist herself, appear to be wrestling with their own demons, especially as seen in the centerpiece of the exhibition, Hell is Other People, 2021.

Samantha Rosenwald
Hell Is Other People, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
60 x 45 inches

Samantha Rosenwald, Hell Is Other People, 2021, Detail

Samantha Rosenwald, Hell Is Other People, 2021, Detail

Other works appear to be close-range vignettes of sinister creatures lurking within the building.

Samantha Rosenwald
Peering Out, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
36 x 30 inches

Samantha Rosenwald
EnterSandman, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
26 x 22 inches

Samantha Rosenwald
Demon Ceremony, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
36 x 30 inches

Installation View, Samantha Rosenwald: Cellar Door, JDJ the Ice House, Garrison, NY, 2022

Rosenwald’s medium of choice for the past several years, colored pencils bring a low-brow sensibility to the traditions of artwork on canvas, but their effect also results in highly textured, unexpectedly tactile surfaces.

Samantha Rosenwald
La Cuevita, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
20 x 18 inches

These works were made during a period in which we’ve largely retreated to our private spaces to protect ourselves from the pandemic, and several of the paintings reflect scenes from the artist’s personal experiences during this time.

Samantha Rosenwald
Shoegazing Ankle Biter, 2021, Detail

Samantha Rosenwald
Shoegazing Ankle Biter, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
36 x 30 inches

Installation View, Samantha Rosenwald: Cellar Door, JDJ the Ice House, Garrison, NY, 2022

It is not uncommon that the home, which we consider to be a place of sanctuary, can also be where torment can thrive.

Samantha Rosenwald
Redrum, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
17 x 17 inches

This rings especially true during the heightened level of stress that we have been experiencing individually and as a society, as our pre-pandemic sense of security continues to unravel.

Samantha Rosenwald
Night Specter, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
39 x 48 inches

Samantha Rosenwald
Queen of Hearts, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
12 x 12 inches

Sometimes the evils within the home can be literal — as one example, the American Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that domestic violence cases increased 33% globally in 2020.

Other times, it can be metaphorical: a sense of home as a belief system created from our past experiences, a constructed “truth” that masquerades as protection but in reality creates fear and isolation. It can take a tremendous amount of courage to step outside of our known realities to confront the darkness that is present in our everyday lives.

Installation View, Samantha Rosenwald: Cellar Door, JDJ the Ice House, Garrison, NY, 2022

Samantha Rosenwald
Apt.1167 The Maniac, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
16 x 15 inches

Samantha Rosenwald
Eagle Eye, 2021
Colored pencil on canvas
22 x 20 inches

Samantha Rosenwald (b. 1994 Los Angeles, CA) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. She holds an MFA from California College of the Arts (San Francisco) and a BA in Art History from Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY). Recent solo exhibitions include Eve Leibe Gallery (London, UK), Annarumma Gallery, (Naples, Italy), Ballon Rouge Club (Brussels, Belgium), and Arsenal Contemporary (New York, NY).

Samantha Rosenwald CV

Press Release