Robin Rhode

Born in South Africa in 1976, Berlin-based Robin Rhode uses the barest of means to comment on urban poverty, the politics of leisure and the commodification of youth cultures. Drawing plays a crucial role in his inventive, witty and playful performances, photographs and video animations, which are often created on the street, and entail Rhode, mimelike, interacting with two-dimensional representations of everyday objects--for example, drawing a candle and attempting to blow it out, or painting a bicycle and trying to ride it. Recently, he has moved toward more abstract forms in paintings and drawings and has also begun to make sculpture. "Robin Rhode: Who Saw Who," a generously illustrated volume, is published concurrently with an exhibition at The Hayward, London and introduces a discourse on the dynamic work of this rising young artist.