Robin Rhode
Encyclopedia
Robin Rhode is a South Africa
n artist, born 1976 in Cape Town
, South Africa, now based in Berlin
, Germany
. In 1998, he obtained a diploma in Fine Art from Technikon Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg
, South Africa, followed by a postgraduate program at the South African School of Film, Television and Dramatic Art in Johannesburg.
Working predominantly with everyday material like charcoal, chalk and paint, Rhode started out creating performances that are based on his own drawings of objects that he interacts with. He expanded and refined this practice into creating photography
sequences and digital animations. These works are characterized by an interdisciplinary approach that brings aspects of performance, happening, drawing, film and photography together. Rhode often returns to his native South Africa, creating work in the streets of Johannesburg and continuously registering the traces of poverty and social inequality. An outstanding characteristic of his works is his addressing of social concerns in a playful and productive manner, incorporating these issues into his practice without simplifying or judging them.
, Rhode usually works in public spaces, using walls, public basketball courts or just the street as his “canvas”. His preferred materials are easily accessible ones like charcoal and paint. As a result, his works stand out through their simplicity and their formal clarity, emphasizing the idea over lavishness of production. Rhode transforms simple shapes into elements of narratives, interacting with only imagined presences. This narrative practice goes back to an initiation ritual at South African high schools – that Rhode himself experienced - where new students are forced to draw and interact with their drawing. Rhode’s reference to this event takes this social gesture further into a playful mode of *addressing cultural phenomena. Rhode’s stories often include a moment of conflict and possible failure. The black and white 26-panel photographic work Juggla for instance depicts a circus-like clown. Prodding at this form of popular entertainment, the faceless character is at the mercy of the wealthy, juggling or holding nothing. With Juggla, Rhode references Minstrel Carnivals from the Caribbean and South Africa where troupes, made up of members from a particular neighborhood of the city, are assembled and each is expected to parade and perform for its local community in exchange for food and drink. Rhode also pays homage to the fervent utopian ideals of the Bauhaus
, implicating Oscar Schlemmer’s seminal Triadic Ballet from the twenties, a performance experiment created in the Bauhaus studios in the absence of a theatre space, balancing “emotional impulses” with an agenda of political agitation.
His drawings of objects like a bicycle, a motorbike, a car, or of abstract shapes and patterns are employed as physical elements in a story, often alluding to the act of creation itself as in Promenade (2008).
Rhode created a display at New York’s Grand Central Station, which was commissioned by BMW
. In it, he used a BMW Z4
convertible to create a sprawling work on floor panels by indicating a winding course in a Los Angeles
studio which he had a stunt driver follow in the convertible car with its tired coated with pigment.
s which took place first on the streets, later in museums and galleries. One of the most popular performances is Car Theft (2003, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN) where Rhode appears as a hooded character in street clothes who first draws a car on the wall and then tries to break in, eventually throwing a stone at the drawn object; highlighting his signature method of attempting to playfully transform flat renderings of everyday objects into illusory three-dimensional ones through his physical interactions. Very much a provocateur and cultural subversive, he shares conceptual links with artists as varied as Marcel Duchamp
, Man Ray
, Jean-Michel Basquiat
, David Hammons
and the Russian
constructivists. Yet, these "high art" associations do not negate his equally strong ties to popular cultural phenomena such as rappers Wu-Tang Clan
, the Nike
brand, graffiti
art, and music-video director Hype Williams
. Rhode is realizing his own personal vision of the world that surrounds him, using art as a means to approach and reflect it in an interdisciplinary practice that goes beyond established borders of genres and traditional ways to engage with art. In Skipping Rope (2005, Musée ďArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris/ARC) Rhode interacted with the audience, engaging them into playing with an imaginary rope. The spectators became participants, taking part in Rhode’s imagination that continuously seeks to reach beyond the boundaries of traditional artist-spectator roles.
and New Photography at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. In 2007 he had a large-scale exhibition at the Haus der Kunst
in Munich, curated by Stephanie Rosenthal
accompanied by his first monograph Walk Off, published by Hatje Cantz. He had a second gallery exhibition in 2007 with the Perry Rubenstein Gallery (a large scale exhibition at all three gallery spaces). In September 2008 he had a solo show at both the Hayward Gallery
and White Cube
Gallery, London and participated in Prospect.1 New Orleans, the New Orleans Biennale curated by Dan Cameron. In 2009, Robin Rhode will collaborate with the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes
to build the stage design and visual accompaniment for Andsnes’ contemporary exploration of Modest Mussorgsky
’s piano suite of “Pictures at an Exhibition” which will premiere at Lincoln Center, New York City, in November 2009.
, New York; The Studio Museum in Harlem
, New York; Walker Art Center
, Minneapolis, Minnesota; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution
, Washington DC; the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC; the Honart Museum Collection, Tehran; the Goetz Collection
, Munich, Germany; Johannesburg Art Gallery
, Johannesburg, South Africa; and the Collection Frac Champagne-Ardenne, Reims.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n artist, born 1976 in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa, now based in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. In 1998, he obtained a diploma in Fine Art from Technikon Witwatersrand
Technikon Witwatersrand
The Technikon Witwatersrand was a technikon located in Johannesburg, South Africa. On 1 January 2005, it merged with Rand Afrikaans University and some campuses of Vista University to form the University of Johannesburg, and is now one of many campuses of the new university.-Origins:Technikon...
in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa, followed by a postgraduate program at the South African School of Film, Television and Dramatic Art in Johannesburg.
Working predominantly with everyday material like charcoal, chalk and paint, Rhode started out creating performances that are based on his own drawings of objects that he interacts with. He expanded and refined this practice into creating photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
sequences and digital animations. These works are characterized by an interdisciplinary approach that brings aspects of performance, happening, drawing, film and photography together. Rhode often returns to his native South Africa, creating work in the streets of Johannesburg and continuously registering the traces of poverty and social inequality. An outstanding characteristic of his works is his addressing of social concerns in a playful and productive manner, incorporating these issues into his practice without simplifying or judging them.
Artistic practice
Reminiscent of practices of street cultureStreet culture
Street culture may refer to:* Street market* Children's street culture* Street carnival* Street identity* Cafe culture*Several topics pertaining to outdoors youth subculture or counterculture of urban centers. These can include street art, street dance, street sports and hip-hop culture....
, Rhode usually works in public spaces, using walls, public basketball courts or just the street as his “canvas”. His preferred materials are easily accessible ones like charcoal and paint. As a result, his works stand out through their simplicity and their formal clarity, emphasizing the idea over lavishness of production. Rhode transforms simple shapes into elements of narratives, interacting with only imagined presences. This narrative practice goes back to an initiation ritual at South African high schools – that Rhode himself experienced - where new students are forced to draw and interact with their drawing. Rhode’s reference to this event takes this social gesture further into a playful mode of *addressing cultural phenomena. Rhode’s stories often include a moment of conflict and possible failure. The black and white 26-panel photographic work Juggla for instance depicts a circus-like clown. Prodding at this form of popular entertainment, the faceless character is at the mercy of the wealthy, juggling or holding nothing. With Juggla, Rhode references Minstrel Carnivals from the Caribbean and South Africa where troupes, made up of members from a particular neighborhood of the city, are assembled and each is expected to parade and perform for its local community in exchange for food and drink. Rhode also pays homage to the fervent utopian ideals of the Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
, implicating Oscar Schlemmer’s seminal Triadic Ballet from the twenties, a performance experiment created in the Bauhaus studios in the absence of a theatre space, balancing “emotional impulses” with an agenda of political agitation.
His drawings of objects like a bicycle, a motorbike, a car, or of abstract shapes and patterns are employed as physical elements in a story, often alluding to the act of creation itself as in Promenade (2008).
Rhode created a display at New York’s Grand Central Station, which was commissioned by BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
. In it, he used a BMW Z4
BMW Z4
The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German car maker BMW. It follows a line of past BMW roadsters such as the BMW Z1, BMW 507, BMW Z8, and the BMW Z3. The Z4 replaces the Z3. First generation production started in 2002 at BMW USA's Greer, South Carolina plant, with production of both...
convertible to create a sprawling work on floor panels by indicating a winding course in a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
studio which he had a stunt driver follow in the convertible car with its tired coated with pigment.
Performances
Rhode’s earlier practice was dominated by performancePerformance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
s which took place first on the streets, later in museums and galleries. One of the most popular performances is Car Theft (2003, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN) where Rhode appears as a hooded character in street clothes who first draws a car on the wall and then tries to break in, eventually throwing a stone at the drawn object; highlighting his signature method of attempting to playfully transform flat renderings of everyday objects into illusory three-dimensional ones through his physical interactions. Very much a provocateur and cultural subversive, he shares conceptual links with artists as varied as Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
, Man Ray
Man Ray
Man Ray , born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...
, Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...
, David Hammons
David Hammons
David Hammons is an African-American artist mostly known for his works in and around New York City during the 1970s and 1980s.Much of his work, including Spade with Chains , reflects his commitment to the civil rights and Black Power movements...
and the Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
constructivists. Yet, these "high art" associations do not negate his equally strong ties to popular cultural phenomena such as rappers Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
, the Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
brand, graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
art, and music-video director Hype Williams
Hype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
. Rhode is realizing his own personal vision of the world that surrounds him, using art as a means to approach and reflect it in an interdisciplinary practice that goes beyond established borders of genres and traditional ways to engage with art. In Skipping Rope (2005, Musée ďArt Moderne de la Ville de Paris/ARC) Rhode interacted with the audience, engaging them into playing with an imaginary rope. The spectators became participants, taking part in Rhode’s imagination that continuously seeks to reach beyond the boundaries of traditional artist-spectator roles.
Trajectory of exhibitions
Rhode had his first solo exhibition at Perry Rubenstein Gallery in New York in 2004. In 2005, he was featured in the 51st Venice BiennaleVenice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
and New Photography at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York. In 2007 he had a large-scale exhibition at the Haus der Kunst
Haus der Kunst
The Haus der Kunst is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstrasse 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park.-History:...
in Munich, curated by Stephanie Rosenthal
Stephanie Rosenthal
Stephanie Rosenthal is an American figure skater who came to prominence during the 2006 United States Figure Skating Championships....
accompanied by his first monograph Walk Off, published by Hatje Cantz. He had a second gallery exhibition in 2007 with the Perry Rubenstein Gallery (a large scale exhibition at all three gallery spaces). In September 2008 he had a solo show at both the Hayward Gallery
Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
and White Cube
White Cube
White Cube is a contemporary art gallery designed by MRJ Rundell & Associates in Hoxton Square in the East End of London Mason's Yard, in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London...
Gallery, London and participated in Prospect.1 New Orleans, the New Orleans Biennale curated by Dan Cameron. In 2009, Robin Rhode will collaborate with the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes
Leif Ove Andsnes
Leif Ove Andsnes is a Norwegian pianist and an ardent champion of the works of Edvard Grieg.-Biography:He studied with Jiří Hlinka at the Bergen Music Conservatory and made his debut in Oslo in 1987, in Britain at the Edinburgh Festival with the Oslo Philharmonic in 1989, and in the United States...
to build the stage design and visual accompaniment for Andsnes’ contemporary exploration of Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
’s piano suite of “Pictures at an Exhibition” which will premiere at Lincoln Center, New York City, in November 2009.
Works in public collections
Rhode’s work is included in the collections of numerous international institutions, including The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim MuseumSolomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
, New York; The Studio Museum in Harlem
Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American contemporary art museum in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, New York. It was founded in 1968 as the first such museum in the U.S. devoted to the art of African-Americans, specializing in 19th and 20th century work as well work of artists of...
, New York; Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington DC; the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC; the Honart Museum Collection, Tehran; the Goetz Collection
Goetz Collection
The Goetz Collection is a private collection of contemporary art in Munich, Germany. The collection is owned and continually being built by the former gallery dealer Ingvild Goetz, who presents the collection to the public in a series of themed exhibitions in a purpose built museum designed by the...
, Munich, Germany; Johannesburg Art Gallery
Johannesburg Art Gallery
The Johannesburg Art Gallery is an art gallery located in Joubert Park, in the central business district of Johannesburg, South Africa. The building was designed by Edward Lutyens and consists of 15 exhibition halls and sculpture gardens...
, Johannesburg, South Africa; and the Collection Frac Champagne-Ardenne, Reims.
Selected solo exhibitions and performances
- Robin Rhode, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA (2010, Solo Exhibition)
- Robin Rhode, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York, NY (2009, Solo Exhibition)
- Robin Rhode, The Wexner Center for the ArtsWexner Center for the ArtsThe Wexner Center for the Arts is The Ohio State University’s multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art...
, Columbus, OH (2009, Solo Exhibition) - Through the Gate, White Cube Gallery, London, UK (2008, Solo Exhibition)
- Who Saw Who, Hayward Gallery, London, UK (2008, Solo Exhibition)
- Walk Off, Haus der KunstHaus der KunstThe Haus der Kunst is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstrasse 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park.-History:...
, Munich, Germany (2007, Solo Exhibition) - Robin Rhode, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York, NY (2007, Solo Exhibition)
- Robin Rhode, Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2006, Solo Exhibition)
- The Storyteller, FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, France (2006, Solo Exhibition)
- The Storyteller, carlier | gebauer, Berlin, Germany (2006, Solo Exhibition)
- Empieza el Juego, Zaragoza, Madrid, Spain (2006, Solo Exhibition)
- Street Smart, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL (2005, Solo Exhibition)
- Robin Rhode, Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York, NY (2004, Solo Exhibition)
- The Score, Artists Space, New York, NY (2004, Performance)
- Fresh, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2000, Performance)
- Living in Public, Market Theatre Galleries, Johannesburg, South Africa (2000, Performance)
Awards
- Winner, Illy Prize, Art Brussels, Brussels, Belgium (2007)
- Winner, W South Beach Commission, Art Positions at Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami, FL
- ars viva 05/06 Identität/Identity, Award, Berlin, Germany (2005)
- Artist-in-Residence, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN (2003)
- Artist-in-Residence, The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Boston, MA (2003)
- Artist-in-Residence, Karl Hofer Gesellschaft (HDK) Berlin, Germany (2001)
- Artist-in-Residence, Gasworks Gallery, London, UK (2001)
- Artist-in-Residence, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2000)
General information and images
- http://www.whitecube.com/artists/robin_rhode/, London - Rhode's
Exhibitions
- Who Saw Who, Robin Rhode's 2008 solo exhibition at the Hayward GalleryHayward GalleryThe Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
, London. (September - December 2008). - Walk Off at Haus der KunstHaus der KunstThe Haus der Kunst is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstrasse 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park.-History:...
, Munich (September 16, 2007 - January 6, 2008). - Street Level at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Durham, NC. (March 29 - July 29, 2007).
- The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl
Publications
- Robin Rhode. Walk Off, edited by Stephanie Rosenthal, Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz 2007.
- Street Level: Mark Bradford, William Cordova, and Robin Rhode. Edited by Trevor Schoonmaker. Exh. cat. Durham: Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, 2007.
- Yee, Linda, ed. Street Art, Street Life. Exh cat. New York: Aperture/Bronx Museum of the Arts, 2008.
- InitiArt Magazine's in-depth interview with Robin Rhode on his art and life in Berlin, 2010.