As partners and collaborators, LA-based artists Elle Rotstein (b. los angeles, 1991) and Colin Sussingham (b. new york, 1989) have created a fresh series for Compound YV Gallery that emphasizes the ephemeral within their individual practices, their subject matter, and their materials.
Elle, a freelance floral designer and artist, has a passion for working with the natural world. Her drawings use floral imagery to symbolize elements of her emotional and physical experiences. Her organic sculptures reflect her travels, embodying the land and cultures from which foraged materials grow. They are a form of ecological portraiture, investigating humans’ desire to possess and control nature.
Colin’s practice has a consistent element of transience. His informal, rapid photography captures fleeting actions, expression, and moments - whether person, place, or thing.
This body of work was created during their covid-19 quarantine. with all trips canceled, and forced to stay in place, the two artists worked within their means using the materials at hand. They dove into their nostalgia of past travels and pulled images of the ephemeral. Elle delicately cut and wove pieces of Colin’s photos together, creating relationships or narratives within their theme. Their use of newsprint was purposefully chosen for it’s temporality and ability to freely bleed. Fish and Flowers: a symbol of impermanence and a self-portrait of their collaboration.
