Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Rossel.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am Julia Rossel, a 20-year-old Sculptor who lives and makes work in Second Ward. I started showing my art in 2019, mostly in white cube gallery spaces, but what interested me more were the shows being thrown by artists in the generation before mine. They happened in their homes or studio spaces: totally raw, autonomous, and inspiring. While I appreciated those DIY events, I didn’t care for the rampant misogyny and gatekeeping boys club that ran them. That disdain is what fueled my desire to put on my own shows. After a forced hibernation 2020-2021 I noticed a sudden interest in DIY music, mainly punk shows for suburban TikTokers to get trashed at. Which is lively and fun, but doesn’t align with my idea of innovation. I want to harness everybody’s excitement for socializing again and bring light to the ways that visual art can be just as unifying as live music, especially when the both are presented together. My intention when throwing shows is to place art and music in an unpretentious context that gives a casual way for anyone to have a special connection with the arts. The events I host are unique to my practice because I install my sculptures for the whimsical ambiance they create. To clarify, the artworks I show at venues for live music and gatherings are not created for the purpose of set design. Most of my pieces have the versatility to be shown in a gallery setting, and to be activated by live performance. However, they are made primarily to further expand my body of work.
I’ve been operating under the studio name: Hotel Chlorine since 2017, it serves not only as my Instagram handle, but also as my clothing brand, and for video/event productions. Combine unforgettable performances by local bands, an art show featuring an array of local artists, and a mini-market of creative entrepreneurs, (with either minimal or no entry fee) and you have an accessible function that a variety of people can enjoy. I am very grateful for the collaborations I’ve been able to sustain with fellow Houston artists, and musicians. Their willingness to share their generous talents with me, has only strengthened my passion for community building.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
What is most challenging to me, is balancing school, work, art, emotions, and event planning. But that’s just life and the work I do fulfills me more than anything I’ve ever done so the exhaustion is worth it. I have encountered a few artists who have been demeaning or condescending, which is always disappointing. I really would like to forge mutually enriching relationships with multi-generational creative people. It’s also disheartening to see those who harass femmes, prey on minors, and generally objectify and disrespect women, still get clout for their creative endeavors whether it be music, art, or fashion. A masculine individual can preach that “all their homies hate abusers” and claim to “respect women” but those words are empty if their actions say otherwise. There are many who blindly follow the hype and fail to hold their peers accountable. What I value most is somebody’s character, the way they treat those around them, and their capability to take responsibility for their actions. If I don’t fit into a setting/culture presented to me, I carve out my own, where hopefully those who think similarly can feel accepted.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Documenting the ephemeral is foundational to my practice. I am drawn to the exclusivity of being able to experience proof of something that has already dissolved. The futility of trying to hold on to the present grounds me. I grapple with my vulnerability through an examination of the intangible feelings, patterns, and thoughts that have molded me. Those defining moments are memorialized into multimedia sculpture, weaving, video, collage and film/digital photography that has culminated into a self-archive over time. Each piece is an artifact of internal mutation and the effects of external forces. Their spirit lies in the casually sublime nature of a cluttered antique shop, but visually they are tactile experiments in materiality. Recently those materials include concrete, plaster, wire/metal, found textiles, and wax. I am drawn to materials that start wet and end dry, or that are malleable, impressionable substances allowing them to hold history.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
No matter what it is that you do, own it completely. Although envy is natural, it will only benefit you to focus on yourself and not worry about what others are doing. You are the only person that knows your perspective and that is incredibly valuable.
Contact Info:
- Website: HotelChlorine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotelchlorine/
Image Credits
Headshot by: Bria Lauren for CAMH staff page
Event Photos by: Julia Rossel
