I don't begin a painting with a particular viewer response in mind. The work grows from my own observations, questions and investigations. Once it leaves the studio, viewers bring their own experiences and interpretations to it, and those responses become part of the conversation.
— Rose Marimon
A conversation with Rose Marimon (Rosy Myart)
What is the central idea behind this exhibition?
My solo exhibition, The More You Look, the More You See, began with a simple question: what happens to the things we stop noticing?
I am interested in the gap between perception and reality. The things we see every day can become invisible because we've become so familiar with them, while other stories remain hidden because they are uncomfortable, complex or overlooked. My work explores these spaces through abstraction. Rather than representing a subject literally, I use layers, contrast, pattern and texture to create a visual response to ideas that are often difficult to describe.
The artworks invite viewers to pause, look more closely and consider what exists beneath the surface.
Why do you use abstraction to explore these ideas?
Many of the issues I respond to, including environmental loss, human impact and social issues, are complex. They involve emotion, history, different perspectives and, at times, conflicting information.
Abstraction allows me to explore these subjects without having to represent them literally. It gives me the freedom to respond to what I observe and discover, while leaving space for curiosity, reflection and personal interpretation.
Through line, layering, redacting, movement and contrast, I build a visual language that allows complexity to exist without reducing these ideas to a single image or one fixed meaning.
Why do you work primarily in black and white?
Black and white has become an important part of my visual language.
I previously worked with colour, but I found myself continually drawn back to a more limited palette. For me, colour often competed with the elements I wanted to emphasise, whereas black and white creates space for details, patterns and subtle changes to emerge.
I am also interested in the tension within black and white itself. At first glance, it can appear simple or uncomplicated, but closer observation reveals layers of detail and complexity. This reflects ideas I explore in my work: that things are not always as they first appear. It also connects closely to the title of this exhibition, The More You Look, the More You See.
The limited palette also creates a focused environment, encouraging viewers to look more closely and notice what may not be immediately apparent.
What role does research play in your work?
Research usually comes after observation and questioning.
It often starts with something I've noticed that raises questions for me. I might think about it for weeks or even months before deciding whether it's something I want to focus on in a work. If it is, I'll research the issue using sources I consider reliable. I'm not trying to become an expert. I'm trying to understand the subject well enough to respond to it honestly.
Along the way, I collect fragments, including information, images and other people's perspectives. Then comes the part that often takes the longest, working out how those ideas can be translated into abstraction. Before I start a piece, I spend considerable time thinking about how the subject can become a visual language rather than a literal image.
The finished work is not an illustration of the research. Through the process of making, the information becomes something more intuitive. The artworks become a meeting point between what I have discovered, what I am still trying to understand and how the subject affects me personally.
Your work often explores things that are hidden or ignored. Why is that important to you?
I have always been interested in the things that sit just beneath the surface: the stories, issues and details that exist around us but are often overlooked, misunderstood or intentionally misrepresented.
We live in a world where convenience, information overload and the systems that shape our daily lives can create a distance between us and difficult realities. Some things are uncomfortable to acknowledge, some are easy to overlook, and some simply disappear from attention when other issues demand our focus.
My work begins with noticing something that raises questions for me. Through the work, I explore those questions and create a space where viewers can look more closely, form their own interpretations and consider perspectives they may not have encountered before.
I am not trying to tell people what to think. I am interested in encouraging people to notice, question and look beyond the first impression.
How do you decide on the titles of your works?
Titles are an important part of my practice, and I don't choose them lightly.
When I title a work, I do so carefully. A title can offer an insight into the work, but it is never intended to explain it or tell viewers what they should think.
I don't leave many works untitled, but when I do, it's a deliberate decision. Sometimes a work can hold multiple interpretations, and adding a title may narrow those possibilities. In these cases, I feel the work is stronger when viewers approach it without that additional insight. Because untitled works are unusual in my practice, the absence of a title often becomes a question in itself. People notice it and wonder why. That curiosity becomes part of the experience.
Whether a work has a title or not, the decision is always intentional. Both are part of how I communicate through the work.
What do you hope viewers experience when they encounter the work?
I hope people slow down.
At first glance, the work might reveal one thing, but spending time with it can uncover details, connections and meanings that are not immediately obvious.
I don't begin a painting with a particular viewer response in mind. The work grows from my own observations, questions and investigations. Once a work leaves the studio, viewers bring their own experiences and interpretations to it, adding another layer of meaning. The work begins with my perspective, but I don't expect everyone to see it in the same way.
If the work encourages someone to question an assumption, look more closely or investigate an issue further, then it has done something meaningful. I hope the works reward curiosity and encourage people to look beyond their first impression.
What questions would you like viewers to leave with?
I would like viewers to leave with questions about the works and about the world around them.
Questions such as:
What do we choose to see?
What do we overlook?
What stories exist around us that have not yet been recognised?
Sometimes the first step towards understanding is simply noticing something, asking questions and being willing to look beyond the first impression. From there, we may begin to see things differently and consider perspectives we may not have noticed before.