ES Meets: Rosa Kusabbi
Introducing Rosa Kusabbi, a Liverpool-based illustrator and animator whose work combines contemporary styles with a rebellious punk spirit, focusing on the queer community, championing women, and many important social issues.
Interview by Molly Bluett.
Essential Journal’s Molly Bluett met Rosa Kusabbi, a Liverpool artist keen to shine a light on social causes close to her heart. Rosa has worked and collaborated with clients including YouTube, Instagram, New Balance and Eurovision (just to name a few), with her art being featured in international exhibitions, spreading messages of unity and empowerment worldwide.
Can you tell us about your journey into illustration and animation? What initially sparked your interest in these fields?
RK: So I always loved art and it was probably one of the only things that I really stuck to throughout school. I enjoyed every other subject, but art was just the one where I knew I could always do well and always loved it. So then I thought that I would go and do that at university. To be honest, I don’t know why I chose illustration over something like fine art, but it’s probably (and it may sound boring) but I felt that illustration and graphics were more vocational. I think that is the honest answer, because a lot of people like me may love art, but get told that you’re not going to be able to make a career in it. I was just quite lucky that the course I did was graphic design and illustration. As soon as I started on it I felt that the illustration route was much more for me, as I like visual storytelling. During that course, I started to get into a little bit of animation as well. I’ve always loved Wes Anderson films and loved Fantastic Mr Fox growing up. So I wanted to do that kind of stop motion animation, but more 2D.
Are there any key moments or experiences in your life that have significantly shaped your focus on female and queer empowerment?
RK: That is a good question. I think I’ve always really been quite political and I’ve always wanted to make art that was political to spread any message that I could. A lot of the time, it’s either something that I’m feeling at that moment, whether something that’s coming up on the news or something that I’m really angry about and there’s nothing else I can do but create a piece of work around it. I think the themes of queerness and female empowerment are just naturally always going to come up because I am a queer woman. Things like that are inherent to who I am. I actually find it hard to create a piece of art now that doesn’t have one of those themes. I sit and say “No, just draw a dog” and then it’ll naturally become something else.
How did you end up getting into the world of freelancing?
RK: So I graduated during lockdown at the very first big 2020 scary lockdown when nobody knew what was going to happen afterwards. I always say I was extremely lucky to have graduated at that time even though it didn’t feel like it right then, because I think that’s when TikTok blew up and Instagram started to champion artists a little bit more. I ended up moving back home and I bought myself a screen printing kit and made loads of prints because I had so many people on TikTok asking me to. Suddenly it became a lucrative career. I think I was also lucky that I could have that space to create something, not have to worry about getting another job at that time because nobody could actually get a job at that time.
I think that’s so interesting that you’re talking there about a time when it could have been so negative and it could have been so difficult to find that next step. But actually because of the situation and the hype created on social media, it was a perfect opportunity for you.
RK: I remember when I finished university and we didn’t get an actual degree show. We only got an online show. I just remember thinking that it was the worst time to graduate. But then in hindsight, I was actually quite lucky because I don’t know if I would have had that space and time. If I’d graduated a year before or year after then maybe I would have put a lot more pressure on myself to get another job and make money. It just allowed me to really focus on freelancing. So I was quite lucky.
So how would you describe your creative process in just three words?
RK: Maybe I’d have to say Impulsive. I need something to get excited about and I need to put it down on paper straight away rather than really thinking it through. Sorry this isn’t three words [laughs], but that’s what works for me. Then emotional – and political as part of that – and maybe bold to represent the vibrant, neon colours.
Is there a favourite part to your creative process?
RK: I love the final touches. No actually, that’s a lie. I actually don’t because I spend about 3 hours doing the final touches. I do love the doom scrolling and hours of looking through different ideas. That excites me the most, especially if it is something like a film that has inspired me. I love that feeling of “This is the idea!”. Once I’m on the track of a good idea, I love the feeling of seeing how good something is going to be.
What do you do when you find yourself in a rut or just lacking creativity?
RK: I’ve got ADHD, so I do get heavy burnout a lot. I think there are times when I’ve had burnout and it’s been so cumbersome that I’ve literally just had to step back and think this next month is a write off because I can’t get myself out of the rut. There have been times during my freelance career where I suppose the way to deal with it is to organise your time better – but I just don’t do that [laughs]. My way to generally get out of it is to just take the bull by the horns and force myself into another project, otherwise I’ll just never do it.
How do you ensure your work authentically represents the communities that you aim to empower?
RK: I think if the work is going to represent the community that I’m part of, well if I’m making it, it is going to do that naturally because it is who I am. There is a big conversation about straight people making art for Pride Month or Queer Art, or men making art for women, or white people making art for people of colour. If it is going to be authentic, then I think you have to come from that community. My work is authentic to who I am and my community because I have a big part in the Queer community in Liverpool. My work represents my friends – I often hide them in my murals.
What challenges have you faced within the world of art, particularly as an artist focusing on feminism and queer identity?
RK: I would say that the situations I’ve faced haven’t been so much prejudice, but certain clients speaking in a slightly homophobic way or just saying the wrong things. I’ve done work for people who have commissioned me to do work during Pride Month, because I’m a queer artist, I’ve asked if I could do a pride themed piece and the company said “make sure its child friendly”. I don’t think they would have said that if it was any other theme. I’ve had my work torn down around Liverpool, particularly when I was part of a series with other queer artists. The crazy part is that the series was commissioned to stand against homophobic attacks that had happened locally and within a day they’d been ripped down by somebody. These are the things that can often make me angry, but that feeds back into my work. It makes me more emotional and, as difficult as that is, my art is an outlet for that.
This issue of the Journal focuses on collaborations. Can you talk about any particular collaborations that stand out or how they’ve impacted your work?
RK: I’ve worked with a number of big names like Adobe, TikTok and New Balance. The experience I have with Adobe is always extremely positive. I’ve been lucky to have them take me to a lot of events, such as the Adobe Max Festival and there were some incredible speakers there. Lots of political, queer speakers like Yinka Olori and Margo Bowman. I love all of their work and there are elements I introduce to my own work, so that was a big opportunity. One of my favourite collaborations that I did was in 2020 when I worked with a charity in California and Mexico. We designed and produced bandanas to raise money for the day labourers who were effectively forced to work for free or below minimum wage, so couldn’t afford to support their families and were being threatened with deportation. That charity was raising money for the labourers and it was so lovely to work with a small organisation who have the same ethos as me. I do love some of the big companies and it is great to be asked to work on Pride Month or International Women’s Day, but then to work with a charity who was so passionate about a shared cause was great. A lot of the work I do involves me collaborating with the bigger brands, who have big budgets, and then I can use that money to subsidise community work or smaller collaborations with smaller artists and local businesses.
So from those experiences do you have any sort of rules or boundaries that you have to put in place when working with the bigger clients?
RK: Based on what I post on Instagram and having made my opinions on a number of standpoints clear, most companies that don’t like that are not going to come to me. I don’t really have to put any rules into action that often because people see me and think, no she isn’t for us!
How do you engage with the local art community and social causes in Liverpool and how does this community support or inspire you?
RK: I’ve done a lot of work with Homotopia which is an amazing queer organisation in the North West and, along with a friend of mine who is also a queer artist, we worked on a Queer Youth Workshop. This was themed around Pride and Protest Affirmations, focusing on queer youth in Liverpool and London, who all connected over art and protest. We taught them about screen printing and techniques that are synonymous with banner making for protests. I think this is especially important for kids who may not have an outlet, which is often true of queer kids or those in the care system. But I’ve also worked with other organisations in the Wirral and you see kids who come into a session and don’t want to talk, but then as soon as they’re learning more it engages them. They can make something tangible and now some kids are showing me the art they are creating at home. Art can give a voice to kids that may not always have lots of other places in society.
Are there any artists or creators who have had a significant influence on your work?
RK: There was an artist called Corita Kent who was actually a Nun and went on to become a really significant protest artist. I saw her work in the Illustration Museum. Her use of colour was amazing. If anybody saw her exhibition they’d think that my work looks just like hers, because of the colours and the ethos behind it.
Is there anything that you would like to do in the future or a project that you haven’t had a chance to do yet?
RK: I think if we’re talking about a massive goal, I think it would be amazing to work on a film or an animation. But I’d also love to work on more photoshoots introducing my other personas, much more printing and, of course, protest work – that is always the best. I would also love to do more workshops. Aside from being an illustrator, workshops are such an integral part of me, because I really do love teaching. I think more jobs within community groups is something I’d want to do more of.
Do you have any advice that you’d give to emerging artists who want to address similar social issues through their work or beginning in the industry?
RK: I think be aware that you are going to get a lot of rejections. I think I’m particularly sensitive about rejection, which makes the job so much harder. Sometimes I’ll take it as a reflection on myself rather than a reflection of that company and how they don’t wanna work with someone who supports the things that I do. That can be really hard, so it would be good to be aware of that from the beginning.
What is the best bit of advice that you have been given by someone, about the industry or just how to go about life in general?
RK: I think it would be to stay authentic to myself. The work that makes me happiest is always the work that is to do with myself and my community. One of my friends once told me to be vulnerable and be vulnerable in my art. That is such an important thing and has made me develop a tough skin. Having that vulnerability makes you so much more relatable. It is so important for people around you to see that too.
