Robin Rhode's Pictures Reframed and LACMA Exhibition

Robin Rhode's video and piano work Pictures Reframed (2009–2010), performed with pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and inspired by Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, is being presented in Asia after showings in the US and Europe. The South African artist also has an exhibition at LACMA (Los Angeles) from March 6 to June 11, 2010. Rhode uses chalk, paint, and charcoal to create ephemeral drawings that engage with post-apartheid social and political issues. His work features choreographed body movements and hands, with a jerky animation style recalling early cinema. Music is integral to his narrative. His videos compress time, focusing on essential actions and change, often with humor. Rhode's practice addresses political themes, such as British imperialism in Through the Gate (White Cube, London, 2009) and cultural pillaging in Ghost Dog (2008), which references a Congo nkisi sculpture. He also draws on South African gang culture and street life. Rhode discusses his fluidity, influenced by dancer Jean-Baptiste André, and his need to build an aesthetic history for South Africa. His upcoming LACMA show explores optics and perception, inspired by a Man Ray self-portrait with window glasses, using steel window frames from modest South African homes.