Painter Alexis Rockman Balances Environmental Beauty and Disaster

In all three of his shows, the New York native bridges environmental awareness and natural history with his maximalist approach, which triggers reflection. Constantly challenging himself to learn more about the natural subjects of his paintings, Rockman is dedicated to engaging with the past and present to help create a better ecological future. Art & Object recently spoke to Rockman about his career and work.

Carlota Gamboa: When and where did your journey as a painter begin? Do you remember a specific moment when a single piece of art spoke with you? Or demanded presence from you?

Alexis Rockman: Well, I was city kid living in NYC in the 1960 and 70’s and I always drew and collected animals which I housed in vivariums in my room on the Upper East Side and spent time at the Museum of Natural History and I loved movies. As an infant, I had a poster of Durer’s The Young Hare (1502) over my crib…it was the first art I remember. After high school I went to RISD thinking I might end up in film somehow - animation or production design. I came back to NYC after 2 years and went to SVA to study illustration and was eventually encouraged by some brilliant teachers to switch to Painting/Fine Art. I was very lucky in the early 80’s, anything was possible in the Art World  - real pluralism. If it had been 5 years earlier I would have been run out of town. I realized I had this unique love of Natural History, and maybe I could find a way forward using that as content.

CG: What is your lineage as an artist? Who do you lean on for artistic influence and inspiration?

AR: I don't lean on anyone, but I think about and have conversations with many artists I love- Polke, Goya, Turner and Smithson etc. On the other hand, if you’re going to be an artist, you better make your own world. I really believe in one needs to have a unique voice. If you’re not going to stand out, why even bother? Just be an accountant.

CG: Was there a specific moment in your trajectory that primed your subject? How did you begin painting about the harmful effects of human intervention in mother nature? 

AR: When I realized that I could make a body of work that referenced my childhood passions about Natural History and if I approached it as if it were a collective part of our culture. That was the spring board for everything. In the late 80s I started to realize that many of the conservation movements that I'd grown up with, out of the 1960’s and 70’s thinking we’re not headed in the right direction were a failure. Also, I became very alarmed when I started to talk to the scientist about climate change in 1995. I knew that that was going be a huge challenge for humans because this problem was invisible, expensive, and supposedly long-term. No one understood how soon all this stuff was going unfold.

CG: How did you become involved in activism? Would you say it is your secondary passion?

AR: My activism was a natural extension of my concern about the environment, when I realized that art was pretty ineffectual in terms of being able to tackle some of these problems, I thought “What else can I do?”  I’m slightly heartened that I just had the opportunity to do the official Earth Day 55th anniversary poster, but when we look at where we are, I would say it’s been a complete failure.

CG: When did you begin the series Naples: Course of Empire, how did it come about?

AR: My good friend Mark Dion mentioned that Maurizio Morra Greco was interested in doing a project at his foundation in Naples. As the conversations unfolded,  my wife, Dorothy Spears, Mark and his wife Dana Sherwood and I went to Naples in the summer of 2023 and had wonderful tours by leaders- directors and curators of the Federico II University Museum Centre for Natural and Physical Sciences, The Museum of Zoology, The Museum of Anthropology The Anton Dohrn Zoological Station and Aquarium amongst several others.

CG: Did the painting’s come about in any particular order? If so, what do you think they are trying to communicate with you and the viewers?

AR: The paintings seemed self explanatory once we got to Naples and you realize how close it is to Vesuvius and how close the sea level of the Mediterranean is and some of the other implications.

CG: What do you hope a viewer experiences when they come face to face with your work?

AR: I'm not concerned about that.

CG: How do you feel like you have evolved as an artist since you began in the mid-80’s?

AR: That’s not for me to say. Hopefully in some positive ways but for everything that you embrace, you have to give something else up.

CG: What is your most important ritual?

AR: Trying to wake up with a positive attitude.

CG: Is there any special advice you would give to younger artists?

AR: Sure, you better love it because there’s no job security and there’s a good chance there’s gonna be ups and downs!

*Editor's Note: This article has been updated to correct misquotes and factual errors. 2/24/25