Meet the Art Historian:
Interview with Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa
Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa is a contemporary art historian and consultant working in New York City and Los Angeles. Dr. Rosa's work has appeared in i-D Vice, Hyperallergic, the Brooklyn Rail, FRIEZE, the Journal of African American History, and others. She has done public programming with Calderón Gallery, Kravets Wehby Gallery, Jenkins Johnson Gallery, the Bishop Gallery, and more. In 2023, Dr. Rosa founded Rosa Projects with the intention of bolstering art patronage for women of color and queer artists.
Can you tell us about your journey from growing up in the Dominican Republic to becoming a prominent writer, historian, and curator specializing in Afro-Latinx and Black Atlantic history and contemporary art?
I never imagined I would work anywhere remotely close to the arts. 2020 was a year when I was in art shows all the time, but I didn't know what else to do other than post my views on Instagram. Then in 2021, I remember walking into the 'Estamos Bien' group show at El Museo del Barrio. I smelled jabón de cuaba, a soap we use in the Dominican Republic, and when I looked to my right, there was a pyramid of soaps created by Yanira Collado. I crouched down to smell it, and my nose burned with nostalgia. When I got to the last few paintings in the show, done by Raelis Vasquez, I began to cry. That was back when I was finishing my Ph. D at Princeton. Seeing Caribbeans being represented in art was somewhat new to me. But 'Estamos Bien' would change my life forever. It was after that time that I began to take art criticism seriously, saying to myself that if anyone should write about artists like Yanira Collado and Raelis Vasquez, it could be me.
What motivated you to pursue your Ph.D. from Princeton University, and how has your academic background shaped your approach to art criticism and curation?
It's funny, but I had no intention of becoming a professor when I began my doctorate. What I wanted was the time and space to write. In retrospect, that was the wrong assumption about graduate school. You don't have the time and space to write for your own projects while pursuing a doctorate. But I still woke up early to write my own things. Most of my curation is impacted by what I have learned in the archives and what I have seen throughout my life. Horses, monsters, riotous women embracing sexuality--you can find all of that in the colonial Caribbean--and therefore, in my curations.
In addition to art criticism, I know you've also contributed to academic scholarship in journals. What inspires your historical academic research, and how does it inform your creative work?
I am inspired by the Black riotous women whose stories are imbedded in the archive, such as Carlota and Fermina, who led rebellions in Matanzas, Cuba in 1843. I have an article coming out soon in the Journal of African American History. It is called "They Won't Let Me Alone," and is about a Black sexworker named Belle Naler who tried to survive as a Black woman in early Los Angeles. Belle was not the "heroic" rebel and she didn't try to be. She was just a real woman with real, relatable, emotions. I am interested in artists who, similarly, lean into the monstrous and the grotesque to destabalize expectations of respectability, and affirm their own inherent value.
Can you share any upcoming projects or exhibitions that you are excited about, and how they align with your mission to spotlight under-represented and under-recognized art communities and artists?
Just a few months ago, in April 2023, I founded a firm called Rosa Projects, with the purpose of curating works by women of color artists into luxury spaces, commissioning artists for large projects, and consulting for acquisitions into legacy collections. What we do is part advocacy and part experience design. When I walk into luxury spaces, I often see the same thing: abstract art with little substance. The work often feels like an aesthetic choice, as opposed to art that makes people stop and think. I wanted to offer something different and transform what people see as blue-chip art. In 2024, I am most excited about commissioning artists to create large works for patrons. Our goal at Rosa Projects is to build out a new wave of artist patronage, like the Medici family legacy, but with artists of color.
What advice would you give to an aspiring art historian or critic just starting their career?
I don't have a degree in art history! So, "contemporary art historian" is a title granted to me by the arts community and by the work that I have done independently. I didn't call myself an art historian until I was asked to be an anonymous reviewer for an academic journal on contemporary art. That was a big "Oh wow," moment for me, since before then, I was just a historian of Black women's histories in the Americas. Studying, for sure, is the foundation of any scholarship. But by studying, I don't mean going to school. Experience in the field, such as going to art shows and auctions, doing studio visits, and learning about valuation and authentication, is even better than an arts education. Yes, I took art history courses in college, but more importantly, I have been an active participant in the art world across coasts and regions. That's the education you can't pay for!
Artist Contact Info:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margaritalilarosa/
All images are property of Dr. Margarita Lila Rosa