P O ST New works by Remi Rough
“Remi Rough continues to challenge the boundaries of contemporary painting as he traverses between the collected history of art and today’s urban lexicon. Thematically he continues to explore the associations between suprematist concepts, abstract expressionism and graffiti art, which in practice and theory becomes evermore present in his work. This amalgamation yields a new type of modernist painting. One that reflects his passion for the aforementioned but also his desire to re-imagine it all for today’s world.” - Carlos Mare
P O ST New works by Remi Rough 12 November - 17 December
Since his first gallery exhibition in 1989, Remi Rough has managed to make a name for himself as one of the most emblematic post-graffiti artists of his generation. The Post exhibition in the historic Willem Speerstra Gallery demonstrates the symptomatic evolution of lettering towards abstraction, of which Remi Rough’s work synthesises 20th century artistic research, enhanced by the graffiti experience. In the French language, perhaps coincidentally, one speaks of ‘writing’ and ‘signature’ to describe the formal identity of an artist. With or without lettering, an artist’s work, at the end of the day, is developed as a language, geometry possessing an infinite vocabulary of its own. Through various compositions on canvas and on wood, using both perspective and depth effects, in particular with layering techniques, Remi Rough leads us into a fourth dimension, whilst playing with the two dimensional medium. We find ourselves in a movement that is frozen or stopped. The spectator seems to be standing still between two levels within the same work. Whereas the wall murals engage our whole body with the speed of movement, the studio work sees us suspended in time and space. The dimensional relation is different, despite being solicited in a spatial position within the work.
Studio portrait by Michelle Morgan 2014
On paper, verticality predominates in a dialogue between lines, levels and colours. A dynamic balance emanates from this articulation of levitating forms, reminding us of the contemporary architecture of Zaha Hadid or Frank Gehry; the geometrical units and the chromatic surfaces recall Suprematism. The transparency of surfaces gives a floating lightness, but the choice of colours breaks away completely from this 20th century heritage and becomes the signature of Remi Rough. Some originate from the primary colour palette of the De Stijl movement, graded in tone by the transparency of surfaces, some are very bright - RGB. Pink, for instance, has been a signature colour for Remi Rough for a long time, in his painting palette and his framework, even in his recent installation during the second Street Art Biennial Festival of Moscow ‘Atmosphere’. The nineteen works of art making up the Post exhibition in 2016, exclusively produced for this event, narrate a new and significant episode of the artistic journey of Remi Rough : quite simply a meeting between two passions, art and graffiti. - Samantha Longhi Editor in chief Graffiti Art Magazine
Depuis 1989 et sa première exposition en galeries, Remi Rough s’est imposé parmi les artistes post-graffiti les plus emblématiques de sa génération. L’exposition Post au sein de la galerie historique de Willem Speerstra démontre à cet égard l’évolution symptomatique du lettrage devenu abstraction, et dont le travail de Remi Rough synthétise les recherches artistiques du XXe siècle enrichies par l’expérience du graffiti. En français, coïncidence ou pas, on parle d’écriture et de signature pour distinguer l’identité formelle d’un artiste. Car qu’il y ait représentation de lettres ou non, finalement, le travail d’un artiste se développe sous le signe du langage, la géométrie se targuant d’un vocabulaire infini. Avec différentes compositions sur toile et sur bois dégageant effets de perspective et profondeurs de champ – notamment grâce à des effets de layers – Remi Rough ouvre un portail vers une quatrième dimension, tout en jouant avec la bidimensionnalité du médium. On se trouve alors dans un mouvement arrêté ou suspendu. Le spectateur semble être pris, debout, entre deux plans à l’intérieur de l’œuvre. Alors que face à ses œuvres murales, notre corps est engagé dans la vitesse du mouvement, il est comme suspendu dans l’espace et le temps face à au travail d’atelier. Bien que sollicité dans une position spatiale au sein de l’œuvre, le rapport dimensionnel est différent.
Sur papier, c’est un sentiment de verticalité qui prédomine dans un dialogue entre lignes, plans et couleurs. De cette articulation des formes en pleine lévitation évoquant l’architecture contemporaine d’une Zaha Hadid ou d’un Frank Gehry, émane un équilibre dynamique des formes qui, entre unités géométriques et surfaces chromatiques, ne manque pas d’évoquer le Suprématisme. Une légèreté aérienne naît de la transparence de ces surfaces, mais le choix des couleurs rompent radicalement avec cet héritage du XXe siècle et signe l’identité de Remi Rough. Elles sont pour certaines dérivées de la palette de couleurs primaires du mouvement De Stijl, nuancées par la transparence des plans, puis on arrive vite à des teintes très vives – RVB. Le rose, par exemple, est une couleur qui suit Remi Rough depuis longtemps, de sa palette de peinture à son encadrement, jusqu’à l’installation qu’il a récemment réalisé lors de la seconde Street Art Biennale de Moscou, Artmosphère. Avec une production exclusivement réalisée pour Post en 2016, les dix-neuf œuvres qui composent cette exposition racontent un nouvel épisode de l’histoire artistique de Remi Rough et non des moindres. La rencontre entre deux passionnés de graffiti et d’art, tout simplement. - Samantha Longhi Rédatrice en chef Graffiti Art Magazine
Remi Rough (b. London, 1971) deals with visual semantics, distilling fragments of the world around him into powerful abstract compositions. Unlike ‘pure’ abstract painters such as Malevich and Mondrian, Remi’s pseudo-sculptural paintings and large- scale murals are instilled with a ‘street-wise energy and tension born from early experiences as a young graffiti writer, painting walls and trains across the world. Those familiar with the almost impossibly intricate interplay between geometry, line and colour seen in late-80’s ‘wildstyle’ graffiti will undoubtedly discover deconstructed visual clues to the artists schooling.
Both colour and music have played important formative roles in the development of abstract art – Kandinsky is widely believed to have had synesthesia – and both Plato and Baudelaire wrote of the visual arts using auditory terms. The instinctive use of colour and geometric form in Remi’s work can often result in what might be described as the graphic notation for some unseen urban symphony, such as in the visual scores of Hans-Christoph Steiner. It may come as no surprise then, to learn that Remi is also an accomplished music producer. The effect is perhaps best experienced when witnessing one of his vast murals, where geography, geometry and architecture align to immerse you fully in the multi-dimensional mind of the artist. With site-specific projects such as the Ghost Village in Scotland, numerous publications and a gallery career spanning over 25 years and as many international cities, Remi Rough is building a legacy that – as with all great innovators – may only be truly appreciated with the passage of time. - Ed Bartlett Founder and Curator The Future Tense
District walls Mural for Art Whino and the DC mural project Washington DC, United States 2016 Photograph by TostFilms
Perpetual motion Mural, painted for Colab Gallery Weil am Rhein, Germany 2016
Circulation MusĂŠe Mohammed VI Rabat, Morocco 2016
Wood Street Walls London, United Kingdom 2016
MB6 Marrakech BiennalĂŠ Marrakech, Morocco 2016 Photograph by Ian Cox
15 Classes Saint Jean de Luz, France 2015 Photograph by Damien Dohmen
Technopark Mural painted for Jidar Toiles de Rue Rabat, Morocco 2015
Paper works
My heart in my mouth Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Derisive Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
The Hypothesis Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Baseline _ VIII (Ode to Barbara Hepworth) Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
In depth interview Ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Olympus Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Baseline _ IX Graphite and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Unit one Graphite and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Baseline _ V Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Resistance _ I Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Resistance _ II Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Mos Eisley Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Baseline _ VII Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Study for ghost series _ I Graphite, ink and spray paint on hand made paper 30cm x 42cm (approx) 2016
Simply put 4 colour screen print On 350gsm Lessebo Smooth natural paper 50cm x 70cm 2016
Canvas and panel works
Loaded Graphite and spray paint on wooden panel 100cm x 100cm 2016
Ghost series _ I Graphite, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 76cm x 76cm 2016
Ghost series _ II Graphite, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 90cm x 90cm 2016
Ghost series _ III Graphite, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 100cm x 100cm 2016
Ghost series _ IV Graphite, acrylic and spray paint on canvas 100cm x 100cm 2016
Sole DXB Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2014
Fold Installation for the Artmossphere BiennalĂŠ Moscow, Russia 2016
Wholecar Collaborative train with Shok 1 London, United Kingdom 2013
Stamp Festival Hamburg, Germany 2011
POST 12 November - 17 December 2016
Speerstra Gallery Chemin des Cerisiers 1 1183 Bursins Switzerland willem.speerstra@speerstra.net +41 (0) 21 824 20 10 speerstra.net remirough.com
Catalogue designed by RR Portraits by Damien Dohmen and Michelle Morgan Photography by Ian Cox, Steph McMahon and Remi Rough Printed by Ripe Digital, United Kingdom Exhibition framing by Pauli Frames, London pauliframes.com Preface by Samantha Longhi Additional texts by Carlos Mare and Ed Bartlett Edition Speerstra Gallery November 2016 © All rights reserved / tous droits réservés
Morgan Furniture London, United Kingdom 2016 Photograph by Stephanie McMahon