Robin Rhode

Robin Rhode (born 1976) is a South African artist based in Berlin.

Robin Rhode
Rhode in 2018
Born1976 (age 44–45)
Cape Town, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
Occupationartist

Background

Born in Cape Town, Rhode studied Fine Art at Technikon Witwatersrand, now known as the University of Johannesburg, in Johannesburg, South Africa, followed by a postgraduate program at the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA).

He is a multidisciplinary artist who uses a variety of visual languages such as photography, performance, drawing and sculpture to create narratives expressed through materials such as soap, charcoal, chalk and paint.[1] Coming of age in South Africa just after apartheid, Rhode was exposed to new forms of creative expression not motivated by a political or social agenda, but rather the spirit of the individual. The growing influence of hip-hop, film, and popular sports on youth culture as well as the community's reliance on storytelling in the form of colorful murals encouraged the development of Rhode's hybrid street-based aesthetic. Rhode is best known for his photographic series that documents a sole protagonist interacting with murals the artist painted on public walls in Johannesburg and Berlin. In the succession of photographs, the movements of the actor appear to alter the two-dimensional renderings, compressing space and time and transforming the urban landscape into a fictional storyboard.[2] Melding individual expression with broader concerns, Rhode's work utilizes techniques of illusion, a range of historical and contemporary references, and a blending of high and low art forms.[3] Rhode often returns to his native South Africa, creating work in the streets of Johannesburg. It has been said that 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
Robin Rhode, "the candle"

Reminiscent of practices of street art, 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 also pays homage to the fervent utopian ideals of the Bauhaus, implicating Oskar 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.

Performances

Rhode's earlier practice was dominated by performances 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. Rhode is realising 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.

In November 2009 Rhode collaborated with Norwegian concert pianist, Leif Ove Andsnes in a reimagining of Modest Mussorgsky's, Pictures at an Exhibition. This collaboration titled, Pictures Reframed features Rhode's stop-frame video animations.[4] Rhode was responsible for the stage design and all visual accompaniments for Andsnes' contemporary exploration of Modest Mussorgsky's piano suite which premiered at the Lincoln Center, New York City.[5]

Rhode on Times Square for Erwartung

In 2014 Irish rock band U2 invited Rhode to direct a music video for their single, "Every Breaking Wave". The music video includes some of Rhode's signature stop frame animation stencil drawings with figures interacting with these drawings.[6]

In 2015 Robin Rhode was the Artistic Director of the first-ever live production of an opera in Times Square: Arnold Schönberg's Erwartung – A Performance by Robin Rhode; conducted by Arturo Tamayo, and produced in partnership with Performa. The soprano Carole Sidney Louis[7] performed solo on a minimal stage created from printed sketches by Rhode, amidst the sky high buildings and billboards standing in for the dense forest illuminated only by moonlight that the opera is set in.[8]

In 2017 FNB JoburgArtFair was delighted to announce Robin Rhode as the 2017 Featured Artist.

Career

Exhibitions

In 2005, Rhode was featured in the 51st Venice Biennale 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. In September 2008 he had solo shows 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, Rhode presented a solo exhibition titled, "Catch Air" at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Ohio. In 2010 Rhode had a solo exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) featuring performances, wall drawings, photographic series, objects, video animations and film.[9] The Castello di Rivoli invited Rhode to exhibit in 2011,[10] resulting in "Paries Pictus" – Rhode's interactive and performative educational project. 'Paries Pictus' is the Latin word for wall drawing. This project invited children to use oversized crayons and to colour-in large scale geometric vinyl graphics applied directly to the walls by the artist. Rhode saw this project as a way of nurturing growth and creativity in youths through visual arts and contemporary art. 2013 saw Rhode's first solo exhibition in Australia, "The Call of Walls" at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. This exhibition consisted of two gallery spaces- the first space displaying Rhode's unique blend of fine art, street culture and performance through his photography and animation. The other space incorporating "Paries Pictus", previously staged in Turin, Italy; New York and Cape Town, South Africa[11][12][13] In 2014 Rhode presented a new exhibition titled, "Animating the Everyday" at the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, New York. This show was a 10-year survey into Rhode's digital videos. 22 works were shown focussing on the digital videos that Rhode classifies as "animations". It also included photographic series that complemented these time-based works.[14] The Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm, Sweden, invited Rhode to exhibit in 2015. This culminated in The Sudden Walk and included a performance with one of Rhode's long-term collaborators, the dancer, Jean-Baptiste André, who performed the piece, Light Giver Light Taker at the opening.[15] “Under the Sun”, Rhode’s first Israeli museum exhibition, opened at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2017.[16]

Collections

Rhode's work is held in the following public collections:

Selected solo exhibitions and performances
  • Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Switzerland (October 2018, solo exhibition and performance)
  • Under the Sun, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel (2017, solo exhibition)[16]
  • The Moon is Asleep, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, USA (February 2016, solo exhibition and performance)
  • Arnold Schönberg's Erwartung – A Performance by Robin Rhode, Times Square, New York (November 2015, opera performance)
  • Robin Rhode: Robin Rhode, North Carolina Museum of Art, USA (September 2015, solo exhibition)
  • Drawing Waves, Drawing Center, New York (2015, solo exhibition)
  • The Sudden Walk, Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Stockholm, Sweden (2015, solo exhibition and Performance)
  • Animating the Everyday, Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College, State University of New York (2014, solo exhibition)
  • The Call of Walls, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia (2013, solo exhibition)
  • Paries Pictus, Castello di Rivoli, Turin, Italy (2011, solo exhibition)
  • Robin Rhode, LACMA, Los Angeles (2010, solo exhibition)
  • Robin Rhode and Leif Ove Andsnes: Pictures Reframed, Lincoln Center, New York (2009, Performance)
  • Catch Air: Robin Rhode, The Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio (2009, solo exhibition)
  • Who Saw Who, Hayward Gallery, London, UK, USA (2008, solo exhibition)
  • Walk Off, Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany (2007, solo exhibition)
  • All About Laughter: The Role of Humour in Contemporary Art, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2007, Performance)
  • The Storyteller, FRAC Champagne-Ardenne, France (2006, solo exhibition)
  • Empieza el Juego, Zaragoza, Madrid (2006, solo exhibition)
  • Street Smart, Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2005, solo exhibition)
  • The Score, Artists Space, New York (2004, Performance)
  • Fresh, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2000, Performance)

Awards
  • Zurich Art Prize (2018)[18][19]
  • Roy R. Neuberger Exhibition Prize, New York (2014)
  • Young Artist Award, A.T. Kearney, Germany (2011)
  • Winner, Illy Prize, Art Brussels, Brussels (2007)
  • Winner, W South Beach Commission, Art Positions at Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami
  • ars viva 05/06 Identität/Identity, Award, Berlin (2005)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (2003)
  • Artist-in-Residence, The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Boston (2003)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Karl Hofer Gesellschaft (HDK) Berlin (2001)
  • Artist-in-Residence, Gasworks Gallery, London, UK (2001)
  • Artist-in-Residence, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa (2000)

Rhodeworks

Rhode's company, Rhodeworks is responsible for the production and publication of various material associated with Rhode's practice as well as independent projects.[20]

Publications include:

  • Robin Rhode: The Sudden Walk (2015)
  • Don Mattera: The Five Magic Pebbles & Other Stories. Illustrated by Matthew Hindley (2014)
  • Robin Rhode: Bones (2013)
  • Robin Rhode: Paries Pictus – Activity Book (2013)
  • Robin Rhode: Parabolic Bike (2010)
  • Robin Rhode: Paper Planes (2010)

Vinyls published include:

  • Kurt Schwitters – URSONATE / Performed by William Kentridge (2017) – the album cover was designed and produced by RHODEWORKS
  • Ching Suru – Slow Days of May (2015)
  • Robin Rhode:Recycled Matter (2015)
  • Sky Klinic – Instrumentality (2013)
  • Edward Maclean – "From Bamako to Abidjan" (2013)
  • Derrick Adams – Go Stand next to the Mountain: Remix Project (The Reworks) (2012)
  • Variants Artwork by Robin Rhode (2012)

Publications
  • Robin Rhode. Walk Off. André Lepecki, 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.
  • Street Art, Street Life. Edited by Linda Yee. Exh cat. New York: Aperture/Bronx Museum of the Arts, 2008.
  • Robin Rhode: Who Saw Who. Michele Robecchi, Stephanie Rosenthal and James Sey. Exh. cat. London: Hayward Gallery, 2008.
  • Catch Air: Robin Rhode. Catharina Manchanda and Claire Tancons, edited by Ann Bremner and Ryan Shafer, 2009.
  • Leif Ove Andsnes and Robin Rhode: Pictures Reframed. 2009.
  • Robin Rhode: Variants. Edited by Honey Luard. Exh. cat. London: White Cube, 2011.
  • Robin Rhode: Paries Pictus. Edited by Sophie Perryer.Exh. cat. Cape Town: Stevenson Gallery, 2013.
  • Robin Rhode: The Call of Walls. Maggie Finch, edited by Mark Gomes. Exh. cat. Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 2013.
  • Robin Rhode: Animating the Everyday. Helaine Posner and Louise Posner. Exh. cat. New York: Neuberger Museum of Art of Purchase College, 2014.
  • Robin Rhode: Tension. Text by Andrea Bellini, Michele Robecchi. Published by Hatje Cantz, 2016.

References
  1. Sargent, Antwaun. "Robin Rhode Draws on Everything". W Magazine. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. "Robin Rhode: Under the Sun". Elephant. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  3. Rhode, Robin. "Artist Biography". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  4. "Sound and Vision: A Piano Recital With a Multimedia Heart". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  5. http://magazine.saatchiart.com/articles/artnews/robin_rhode_and_leif_ove_andsn%5B%5D
  6. "U2 Release 'Every Breaking Wave' Video, From South African Artist Robin Rhode". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  7. Arnold Schönberg's Erwartung – A Performance by Robin Rhode on YouTube
  8. Forbes, Alexander (10 November 2015). "Robin Rhode Stages an Anxiety Attack in Times Square". Artsy. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  9. "Contemporary Projects 12: Robin Rhode". LACMA. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  10. "Robin Rhode, Paries pictus". Castello di Rivoli. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  11. "Robin Rhode: The Call of Walls | NGV". Ngv.vic.gov.au. 15 September 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  12. "Robin Rhode – Exhibitions". Lehmann Maupin. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  13. "Robin Rhode". Stevenson.info. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  14. "Neuberger Museum of Art". Neuberger.org. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  15. "Robin Rhode – The Sudden Walk". Kulturhuset Stadsteatern. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  16. "Robin Rhode: Under the Sun". Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  17. "Robin Rhode". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  18. "The Zurich Art Prize 2018 Goes to Robin Rhode". www.hauskonstruktiv.ch. Museum Haus Konstruktiv. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  19. "Robin Rhode Awarded $100,000 Zurich Art Prize". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  20. "Rhodeworks". Rhodeworks. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
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