Robin Rhode engages photography, performance, drawing, and sculpture in creating visual narratives that are brought to life using quotidian materials such as soap, charcoal, chalk, and paint.
Rhode came of age in the newly post-apartheid South Africa and was exposed to new forms of creative expression motivated by the spirit of the individual rather than dictated by a political or social agenda. 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 document 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. Melding individual expressionism with broader socioeconomic concerns, Rhode’s work reveals a mastery of illusion, a rich range of historical and contemporary references, and an innate skill for blending high and low art forms.
Using the street corner as his studio, Principle of Hope is photographed against a ruined wall in a township in Johannesburg. Here, the glimmer of an answer resides in geometry – the necessary illusion of perfectibility. A spiral wall is rendered in painted grey tones to create the visual impression of heavy stacked concrete bricks. The painted concrete spiral evolves upwards towards a blue sky, a metaphor for an imaginary utopia. Moving between abstract speculation and visceral record, the artwork takes as a point of reference the philosopher Ernst Bloch’s book published in three volumes in the 1950s titled The Principle of Hope in which the author explores utopian impulses present in art, literature, religion and other forms of cultural expression, and envisages a future state of absolute perfection.
Find original Robin Rhode art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Lehmann Maupin)
$2,400Sale Price|20% Off
"Wall of Water" by Robin Rhode (Photograph, Performance, Graphic, Graffiti)
By Robin Rhode
Located in New York, NY
One chromogenic print, 2015, from the edition of 27, signed on a label that accompanies the print, sheet: 770 by 770 mm, 30 1/4 by 30 1/4 inches. Published by Lincoln Center for the ...
C Print
$963
H 33.47 in W 39.38 in D 1.97 in
The Last Kiss, Milan - Book Kiosk, Italian color photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
'The Last Kiss', from Richard Heeps series, 'A Short History of Milan', featuring a traditional Italian street book kiosk. A Short History of Milan began in November 2018 for a spe...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$688
H 25.01 in W 30.71 in D 0.04 in
Motel Desert Shores, Salton Sea, California - Mid-century Architecture photo
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Motel Desert Shores, photograph from Richard Heeps Salton Sea series. This picture has the a vibe of a Southern California American road trip, the colours are so seductive, the palm ...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
JP5 Pump Room
By Stephen Mallon
Located in New York, NY
C Print Photograph 20"x30", edition of 5 please inquire about additional print sizes This photograph is from Stephen Mallon's series: "The Reefing of USS Radford." which chart...
C Print
$1,777
H 16 in W 20 in
Pathway of Heaven, Tibet, Signed HD C-Print, Tibetan Landscape, 2014
By Yu Hanyu
Located in New york, NY
Pathway of Heaven, 2014 by Yu Hanyu is a signed 16" x 20" HD C- print. In an edition of 5, numbers 1/5 and 2/5 are available. The artist says of his photographs of the mountains of Tibet: "Under a vast sky and white clouds, eagles soar -- the valley is deep, shadows are blurred. This is a mysterious and peaceful world in Tibet with abundant holy water running through the plateau." Seeking inspiration for his landscape paintings, Yu Hanyu has spent many months since 2005 photographing the snow-covered Tibetan plateau and Himalayan mountains. As artist and photographer, he attempts to capture Äúthe towering row of mountains, the precipitous cliffs, the cold moon and the wasteland, the places beyond the Great Wall and the forests, the wind and the frost‚ with the Himalayans as his special muse. Provenance: Yu Hanyu Studio *** Artist’s Bio: Yu Hanyu is a contemporary Chinese painter...
C Print, Digital, Digital Pigment, Photographic Film
$247
H 15.75 in W 21.26 in D 1.38 in
Pink Gloves, Goodwood, Chichester - Feminine fashion, color photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
This stylish artwork, 'Pink Gloves' taken at the glamorous retro event Goodwood Revival, perfectly captures feminine sophistication with a vintage vibe. Th...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Untitled, from the series 'Cui Cui'
By Rinko Kawauchi
Located in Zurich, CH
Rinko KAWAUCHI (*1972, Japan) Untitled, from the series 'Cui Cui', 2005 C–type print 30.5 × 25.4 cm (12 × 10 in.) Edition of 6 Print only, Signed by the artist This photograph belon...
C Print
$247
H 18.51 in W 15.75 in D 1.38 in
Lights of Mong Kok, Hong Kong - Asian Architecture Street Photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Lights of Mong Kok, Kowloon, Asian architecture photograph by Richard Heeps. The artwork captures the spirit of walking the streets in Hong Kong, the overwhelming buzz of the compet...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Loivng You II (Till Death do us Part)
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Loving You II (Till Death do us Part) - 2005 48x38cm, Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Certificate and Signature label. Ar...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
$380
H 7.88 in W 7.88 in D 0.04 in
Pasolini (Immaculate Springs) - starring Jacinda Barrett
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Pasolini (Immaculate Springs) - 1998, 20x20cm, Edition of 10 plus 2 Artist Proofs. Archival C-Print, based on the original Polaroid. Signature Label and Certificate. Not mounte...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
$1,200
H 11.82 in W 14.97 in D 0.04 in
Last Days of Summer - Contemporary, Polaroid, Photograph, Childhood, abstract
By Cristina Fontsare
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Last Days of Summer - 2019 - 30 x 38 cm, Edition 1/7. Photograph printed on Fuji glossy paper, based on a reclaimed Fuji Instant Film Negative (not mounted). Signed on back wi...
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Polaroid
$688
H 31.3 in W 25.01 in D 0.04 in
Craig y Don Pool, Llandudno Beach, Wales - Blue British Swimming Pool Sea Photo
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
Craig y Don Pool, looking across the bay of Llandudno, Wales in the United Kingdom. Blue symmetry guides your eyes out to sea in this photograph by Richard Heeps. This artwork is a limited edition of 25 gloss photographic print from negative, accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. We recommend the print is professionally framed. This artwork is available in other sizes and it pairs well with Richard Heeps artworks in our 1stdibs store. "Richard Heeps' seductive, highly saturated colours and sophisticated pictorial structures demonstrate a true love and empathy for his subject matter - be it cool descriptive interiors, still life or landscape. His distinctive style pushes the limits of photography." He is a film-based photographer, using a range of vintage analogue cameras. He considers himself to have three studios, the external studio of whichever location he may be shooting, his darkroom where I make my master prints and his home studio where he does the postproduction where the artworks are mounted framed and finished. He aims to make accessible artwork without compromising on quality and making everything in house he is in control of each step to achieve that. Although he was brought up in East Anglia (England), he was heavily influenced by America. he visited American bases, kept magazine cuttings and followed drag racing. The speed, lifestyle and technicolour is reflected in his imagery. 'American' colour is a major aspect in his work, it drives his equipment and material choices. At age ten he began participating in art shows and became comfortable with showing his work and the praise and criticism which is part of an artists development. In his early paintings Manhattan was reoccurring theme, fascinated with New York. Throughout his professional career he has been lucky enough to exhibit in Museums and Public Galleries since the 1980's. Since 2008 his gallery Bleach Box...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
$2,684
H 36 in W 24 in D 1 in
Bargi. By John Kenny. C-type Print with Acrylic Face-Mount.
Located in Coltishall, GB
Bargi, a young Hamer girl, takes a large amount of pride in her appearance. Her clothing, jewellery and hair are carefully arranged and require a lot of attention. Her key respons...
C Print