Introducing Jono Rotman
Rotman (born 1974, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand) is an artist working between Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA. He lives in San Francisco. Rotman’s work has been exhibited in the USA, Australia and New Zealand and is represented in collections in the USA and Australasia. He is the recipient of the Prix Du Livre Images Vevey (2018) and The Marti Friedlander Photographic Award (2013).
Rotman’s work is predicated on the idea that civilization is a delicate fiction. His practice focuses on the point at which different power structures meet: during the colonial process or at the collision of civilization and the natural world, for example. This often draws him to subjects on the edges of society. In Aotearoa New Zealand, his work has explored incarceration and gangs, leading to an interrogation of his own place, as a New Zealander of European descent, in the colonial history of the country. In the US, he touches on similar themes, exploring the shifting violent ingredients of the American empire.
Rotman’s 2018 publication Mongrelism is co-published by Here Press, London and Images Vevey, Switzerland.
Read Peter Black’s review (for PhotoForum) of the book Mongrelism here.