Rising Stars: Meet Joshua Berkowitz of Denver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Berkowitz.

Hi Joshua, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was originally trained as an actor at University of Michigan but found out about halfway through college that I was a performance artist. I was absolutely sure that I was not going to wait around for roles. If I felt like making experimental films I’d often borrow cameras and have people teach me how to edit. It didn’t matter how scrappy it was, I knew that from a performance standpoint I could exceed everyone who knew how to use these instruments. If I felt like painting I’d paint and I’d tackle the form with playful arrogance which would mold into style. By my late 20’s I became co-artistic director of a performance art space in Los Angeles known as the Electric Lodge. As a curator, I absorbed all forms of performance from heady contemporary dance to avant-garde clown. By the time I began doing full-length one man shows in my thirties I would merge every type of style into one piece. I have been the creative director of The Lab on Santa Fe for three years and founded the space as well which resides in the center of Denver’s most popular art district. My latest one man show Dr Head Fake has its Denver premiere August 28-30. It had its world premiere in Los Angeles in July.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My early-to-mid 20’s was a huge struggle. I was not getting much recognition creatively and I was not yet aware of my bipolar diagnosis. It caused me to be constantly in flux without a proper support system. I’ve found that being med-compliant has actually made me way more creative, consistent and precise in my approach. Also, being in multiple creative leadership roles between Electric Lodge and The Lab on Santa Fe has made it so I often am holding space for others. That is completely rewarding.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
With my newest show Dr Head Fake, I am building an abstract basketball court in my gallery and playing a kaleidoscopic basketball game against my own neurosis. I explore the microcosm of my upbringing in the suburbs of Detroit and somehow tie it together with Dennis Rodman’s early career as a Bad Boy Detroit Piston and his later period that was his bromance with Kim Jong-un. It focuses on my life from 0-12 and the tenderness that is those coming-of-age moments you can never prepare for.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I go with mentors who are not possessive. John M White, performance art legend and abstract painter mentored me for 2 years and then referred to himself “a bus stop:” The selflessness of that statement blew my mind. You gotta absorb what you can and be influenced by a bunch of things like a stew and then forget it all and your style arrives right then and there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thelabonsantafe.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelabonsantafe
• Other: https://app.promotix.com/events/details/Dr-Head-Fake-or-How-I-Learned-to-Stop-Worrying-about-Rodman-North-Korea-tickets-2

Image Credits
Darren Henkel for the Dr Head Fake photo shoot.