Black woman cradling a nest of eggs, casting a shadow of a bird
Woman in Gold/ watches over by Joseph Laurro, 2019. 24″ × 24″ oil on canvas

Painting for Joseph Laurro is visceral. Images develop through contemplations on our environment, water, the plight of humanity– they become meditations on movement and migrations. Re-contextualized images turn to folklore, the sacred, science, and everyday curiosities. Sometimes for Laurro, they feel like a counterweight to despair, and that he is acting as a conduit. Joseph’s need to feel connected to dance and his body appeals to the performative qualities that painting has for him.