Living means leaving traces.- Walter Benjamin"In order to get to the essence of a particular archetype, I peel apart the layers. To get to this essence I must first make the layers visible, then trace the steps that result in archetypes.I am drawn to the layer that exists between exterior and interior. I use art to represent the psychological space that ensues as a result of the creation of identity; complex layers that let pieces of the interior show through. What is seen from the outside is not necessarily representative of what exists beneath the surface. My work explores feminine identity in an attempt to understand the formation of my own identity."MaryJo Rosania was born and raised in northern New Jersey and migrated to Pennsylvania to study at Kutztown University. After earning a BFA with a concentration in sculpture with a theater minor and later, Post-Baccalaureate certification in Art Education MaryJo moved to Bucks County, PA to teach high school art. Her interdisciplinary education at Kutztown contributes to the hybrid quality of her current work, an combination of video, performance, projects and text. MaryJo received her MFA from The Union Institute at Vermont College and continues to make work that explores the complexity of identity and the creation of archetypes. MaryJo participated in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival for three years and won first prize at the 2005 Hunterdon Museum of Art Member’s Exhibition for her video Conversation.
