Inspired by the streets of Johannesburg, South African-born artist Robin Rhode will present his debut Australian solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. Robin Rhode: The Call of Walls will explore Rhode’s distinctive practice of using everyday materials such as chalk and charcoal to draw directly onto Johannesburg’s concrete walls and asphalt streets, creating ephemeral narratives that reference the complex history of South Africa, popular culture and the act of creative expression itself. Rhode’s multidisciplinary work often portrays the artist, or a ‘doppelgänger’, interacting physically with his two-dimensional wall drawings, transforming cityscapes into three-dimensional imaginary worlds.
The Call of Walls will consist of two gallery spaces – one will display Rhode’s engaging blend of fine art, street culture and performance through his photography and animation; while the other will explore the act of drawing through an interactive space especially designed for children and families.
The exhibition will present eleven of the artist’s recent photographic works and ten of his recent animations.
ABOUT ROBIN RHODE Robin Rhode was born in Cape Town in 1976 and moved to Johannesburg as a young child. He studied Fine Art at Technikon Witwatersand in Johannesburg, as well as production design briefly at the Association of Film and Dramatic Arts, and since 2000 has exhibited frequently in group and solo exhibitions both in South Africa and internationally. Rhode’s work is held by numerous public collections including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim, New York; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; the Goetz Collection, Munich; and Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa. Rhode currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany.
DATES: 17 May 2013 – 15 Sep 2013 Free entry
LOCATION: National Gallery of Victoria
MORE INFO: National Gallery of Victoria
Comments