Self-aware, socially-motivated (but never shouty) paintings plug you into the here and now on the second-floor of an office building in the heart of Little Italy.
In a world that feels like it’s spinning off into outer space at times, the free-wheeling, yet rigorous, exploration and perspective at Derosia refreshes.
The artists always have serious skills, and the paintings often have serious, socially motivated tones delivered in a light-hearted, often very funny way. Like a smart comedian who crafts a serious social message while keeping you smiling.
Whether landscape, figurative, or abstract. Whether the topics are pulling from history or what's on TV or TikTok. Derosia always feels like it’s delivering a perfect mix of tradition and the current moment, capturing the strangeness of the moment we're living in.
Derosia began in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia in 2010 as the scrappy, spirited art project space Bodega. The crew that started it (a bunch of recent artsy grads from Hampshire College) quickly turned it into the heartbeat of the local scene. In 2014, two of the founders, Elyse Derosia and Eric Veit, brought the project to New York and evolved it into the sharp-eyed gallery we know and love today.
Want to know where art is headed next? Here are the ones to watch.