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Colleen Rodgers

New York based freelance writer covering art, music, fashion, and culture.

IMPULSE Magazine •

ILY2 Gallery Works from the Inside Out — IMPULSE Magazine

The art world today, unsurprisingly, is not as philanthropic as we might wish it to be. Institutions talk of supporting more minority artists while making promises to reallocate resources to support marginalized communities. At the same time, institutions like the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art are turning their backs on these initiatives in the wake of the Trump administration’s mandate to end Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. While there has been a greater shift toward ex...
IMPULSE Magazine •

Artifacts: Preserving the Stories of Underground Culture — IMPULSE Magazine

Writer and historian Steven Watson has always been intrigued by the downtown culture of the ’60s and ’70s: the circles of writers, artists, and performers who were at the helm of a cultural revolution in New York City. Watson began interviewing these circles and has accumulated over 200 video interviews with the revolutionary thinkers who make up the cultural mosaic of the American avant-garde.
Medium •

Hyper-Individualism in an Online World

A few months ago, a New York Times article by Mireille Silcoff titled “Teen Subcultures Are Fading. Pity the Poor Kids,” circulated TikTok. The article recounted a conversation Silcoff had had with her daughter who shown her a TikTok of a girl walking into a Dallas clothing store called “Dear Hannah Prep”, upon which she exclaimed “it’s so preppy in here”, while facing a room of brightly colored ruffled skirts, beaming smiley face icons, and ironically placed palm trees. Akin to a 2007 Justice or Ruby and Jenna, this store was far from the New England Ivy League, Lisa Birnbach, “cashmere sweater draped upon your shoulders” kind of preppy I know.
IMPULSE Magazine •

Michael Wang Challenges Visions of a Nuclear Future — IMPULSE Magazine

At Bienvenu Steinberg & C, the multidisciplinary artist Michael Wang presents Yellow Earth, an exhibition that explores the destructive capabilities of natural energy in a modern nuclear age. The exhibition engages in dialogue with the work of Walter De Maria, a key figure of land art, whose exploration of environmental relationships and atomic undertones parallel Wang’s. Wang leaves the viewer to observe the pure beauty of uranium while being confronted with the inextricable damage and tragedy its misuse has caused.
IMPULSE Magazine •

Betty Tompkins’ P.P.O.W Exhibition Recontextualizes the Female Body — IMPULSE Magazine

A woman's body has long been the subject of art. Throughout art history, we have seen both male and female artists inspired by the nude female figure. Whether it be in sculpture, painting, photography, or drawing, a woman’s body has been the inspiration for countless artworks, and is no stranger to the public eye.In her third solo exhibition at P.P.O.W Gallery, Just a Pretty Face by Betty Tompkins removes the nude female body from a sexualized space and places it before us to observe objectively...
Office Magazine •

Paul Klein Leads With Love

In an industry where curated digital personas abound, Paul Klein, one-half of the “soft-boy” alt-rock band LANY, chooses truth over illusion. While others project idealized versions, Paul invites his audience to connect with the real him.

LANY's exploration of ballad love songs delves into themes of heartbreak and loss, with Paul viewing vulnerability as a powerful means to help people feel less alone. Despite his lowkey approach, Paul graciously accepts photos and greetings from fans, recognizing them as genuine expressions of appreciation for his music.
Office Magazine •

YOSSI HOMME: The American Youth Wave

When we think about the elements that define American youth culture, what comes to mind? Maybe it's the image of young people advocating for change, the vibrant culture of 90s, early 00s downtown New York City, or the impact the influential forces of music, technology and mass media have had on the culture-at-large. It might even be as straightforward as a teenager's first Marlboro light. For Yossi Shetrit, it's all of this and more.
Office Magazine •

Towa Bird is the Rockstar of a New Generation

On stage at Terminal 5, Towa Bird opens one of her last shows in New York in full swing with an mesmerizing guitar riff to amp up her audience, afterward yelling "What’s up bisexuals?" to which the response was a roar of cheering and clapping. From there, it was full energy from Towa, who was dancing on stage, high fiving the crowd, and of course shredding the guitar - all while wearing her home flags of the UK and Philippines, given to her by nearby fans. If it wasn't clear before, Towa proved to Terminal 5 that night that she is the rockstar for the next generation.
Office Magazine •

On Tour with Slayyyter: Starfucker

Going from making hyperpop songs from her hometown St. Louis, Missouri that she'd upload onto Soundcloud to rising as a pop sensation à la Britney Spears, Slayyyter is leaving an undeniable mark on the pop music landscape. With her unique blend of nostalgia-inducing '90s and 2000s pop aesthetics over techno-imbued beats, and a fearless approach to sexuality and self-expression, Slayyyter makes music for the girls, the gays and everyone in between.
Office Magazine •

Harmony Has Us Longing For Yesterday

This has been quite the momentous year for rising pop star Harmony. Her infectiously catchy sound and poignant lyrics are what makes her so unique yet relatable. Harmony’s vulnerability gives us a peek into how she sees the world, acknowledging the absurdity of life and the contradictions in her femininity. Playing to audiences in New York City, London, and LA, even Sandy Liang caught wind of the rising star, using her song “"I Am So Lucky And Nothing Can Stop Me" in their show this past September. And Harmony is right, nothing can stop her.
Office Magazine •

Wasia Project Is Taking Over the UK Pop Scene

Merging classical jazz, indie pop, and shoegaze vocals into what they like to call an "alternative mess", Wasia Project is the next pop duo to keep your eyes on. The London-based band, comprised of siblings Will Gao (20) and Olivia Hardy (17), is one of the UK’s top pop groups right now. As young adults in today's world there’s a lot of growing pains and uncertainty to grapple with — Wasia Project wants their fans to know they’re not alone. Their honest songwriting opens the door for raw conversations about love, relationships and mental health, that might otherwise be brushed aside.
Office Magazine •

Kota the Friend Wants Everyone to Have a Good Time

In an industry that is so caught up in commercialism and greed, it’s hard to find authentic, relatable artists anymore. When today’s top rap is mainly centered around competition, exploitation, and materialism, artists like Kota the Friend feel like a breath of fresh air. Providing a sense of escapism for his listeners, Kota raps about finding beauty in everyday life, opting for humility and gratitude over conceit. His laid back, motivational tone engages a whole new type of rap listener, focused on pure music and tuning out the negativity
Office Magazine •

yeule unravels their emotional wounds in "softcars"

Much like the rest of us 20-something year olds, Nat Ćmiel, also known as yeule, is chronically wrapped up in the digital realm. As an artist who identifies as a cyborg entity, yeule knows the feeling of digital dependency all too well. Their new album softscars serves as an opportunity to step back into reality and reflect inward. Taking inspiration from 90s bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and even Aly and AJ, yeule, as many of us do, finds peace in the music that offered us all so much reassurance as angsty teens.
Office Magazine •

This Hell is Heaven

The 13-song experimental album showcases a breadth of musical range, seamlessly intertwining influences from pop, R&B, indie rock, and gospel with an ancestral form of Carnatic music from Southern India. Across the span of 57 minutes, the listener becomes enmeshed in an emotional out-of-body experience – a masterclass in the potency of musical intention. With each track it becomes increasingly evident that this isn’t a commercial endeavor, instead a search and pursuit of truth through an intimat
Office Magazine •

RIDING THE FLAMER HIGH

I get a text from The Dare: “Did the Downtown Shawty Fashion just change forever?” Liv and I decamp to NoGlu to nibble a blueberry muffin and decide. Girlhood has a whole economy which is NOT experiencing a recession! But I do think we may have hit diminishing returns on cuteness. Ultimately, this fashion week has not changed Downtown Shawty Fashion forever so don’t burn your bows.

Back home I stare at my framed photo of Paris Hilton tied up in microphone cable wearing Galliano Dior heels. What
Office Magazine •

vōx and Alexander Vincent Take Us On a Hypnotic Sonic Journey

Why did you choose QUIN, Don Toliver, and Wale as collaborators for Since I Have A Lover?

I always just make the music first. Then if I hear somebody’s voice, it’ll pop into my head in a moment where maybe I have an empty space on the song that I didn’t complete. I’ll listen to it with that empty space for a while then hear one of my friend’s voices pop up in my head. That’s normally how it happens. For the song with Wale, I had finished the entire song, and then toward the end, I just kept say
Office Magazine •

36 Views of New York

Yeah, there are certain things about both of your work that wouldn't necessarily be visible unless they were shown together.

AB- Even my paintings in a show under the title ‘American Girl Diagnostics,’ I think they would not have any of that aura if it wasn't alongside Jane's work and under this title.

JB- We started from these super intense topical places and these really strong ideas of girlhood and femininity, medicine and bodies. We ended up scrapping a lot of ideas, because they were so o
Office Magazine •

Between the Earth and Sky

When you’re sketching out looks and ideas with your team, what does that collaboration mean to you when you’re all able to complete these collections?

Téla – It’s everything. Without our team, we wouldn’t be able to do this. Both of us know how to do almost everything, but there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’ We can’t act like we have the time for everything at all. So to be able to partner with people and trust what other people want to see this thing through just like us is an incredible feeling. It’s r
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