Meet Rachael Tarravechia

A Brooklyn-based artist likes to portray the relationship between popular culture and media, repetition and patterns, and the investigation of luxury goods and the expectations that come along with them through her work. In this interview, we talk about rhinestones, La Croix, and the narratives behind her work.

What are you listening to these days?

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of early 70’s disco, and club mixes too. Basically, anything upbeat. Been listening to French pop and French rap too, anything that has a good beat and tempo that I would wanna dance to.

If you could only use one for the rest of your life: Would you choose rhinestones or glitter?

That’s hard. Rhinestones start hurting my body after a while because they are so small, and my hands and fingers cramp up. But I guess I’d have to go with rhinestones, I think they look more expensive and luxurious.

What’s the best part of working and having your studio in NYC?

I think just how convenient everything is. It’s nice that I can grind in the studio and then have a day off and go visit the best museum or some of the most prestigious galleries. Just like fully take in everything that’s happening in the art world. The convenience is my favorite part of working and living in New York, but I don’t think you have to live here at all to be successful.

If you were to partner with a big-name fashion brand, which one do you see as a better fit?

Either Gucci or Prada. I feel like Gucci has more of an out-there style, they are not afraid of bright colors and patterns.

There’s a lot of day-to-day objects that often find their way into your work, or in cases become the work themselves, like the beaded La Croix cans. What’s your “selection” process for these objects?

I guess how I choose what to include and what not to is that I usually come up with a narrative in my head that I want to base these rooms around. The narrative I think of informs the color palette and the overall vibe, so I go from the narrative to the bigger picture and then I choose the everyday objects. Those are reliant on the narrative, but I also try to choose them based on what I use in my personal life.

How much La Croix do you drink?

Before I was drinking like 2 or 3 a day, my teeth probably weren’t that happy about it. I have definitely laid off the La Croix and now I mainly drink tea all day.

What feeling do you hope to evoke in people when looking at your work?

I want the viewer to feel drawn towards the space. To feel warm and euphoric because they are kind of dreamy spaces with these monotone color schemes, but I want the viewer to leave a little bit more confused. I really think about the narrative that I build into these pieces, and the narrative usually have a darker tone in them, I tried to be subtle about it, especially compared to all the bright colors that I use. I hope that the viewer takes that away from the work.

If all of your work could have one theme song, what would it be?

Never Can Say Goodbye by Gloria Gaynor.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

I have an online show coming up with tchotchke gallery that opens April 6th, you can view it on their website. It’s a two-person show with another Brooklyn-based painter named Anthony Eslick.

Rachael Tarravechia