ART CITIES:Hong Kong-Robert Rauschenberg
Considered as one of the most influential American artists due to his radical blending of materials and methods, Robert Rauschenberg was a crucial figure in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to later Contemporary movements. His experimental approach expanded the traditional boundaries of art, opening up avenues of exploration for future artists.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Pace Gallery Archive
Robert Rauschenberg created thousands of drawings, prints, sculptures, paintings and more before his death in 2008. Large-scale works of acrylic paint, silkscreened images of Robert Rauschenberg’s own photographs and graphite on white aluminum are on presentation in the exhibition “Vydock” at Pace Gallery in Hong Kong. Rarely seen since their initial exhibition “New Paintings: Vydocks and Doubleluck; Reefs” (23/9-21/10/1995) at Gagosian Gallery in New York, the series features the white background that characterizes much of Rauschenberg’s later works, and bridges the artist’s earlier works on metal with his later “Anagram” (1995–97) and “Anagram (A Pun)” (1997–2002) series. Rauschenberg completed the “Vydocks” as the last painting series in which he used acrylic, silkscreened images, and metal supports. The vertical passages in the series traverse a wide chromatic spectrum. The exhibition includes a selection of eight “Vydock” works, each of which Rauschenberg created on identical sheets of bonded aluminum. The proportions of the panels, which the artist custom ordered and prepared, approximating the height and width of a person’s reach. Each panel has a pristine, resistant white surface onto which he brushed acrylic paint, transferred silkscreen images, and drew graphite lines—three distinct elements traditionally relating to three different artistic practices: painting, photography, and drawing. Each panel features Rauschenberg’s own photographs, capturing everything from a seagull resting on a pier to a towel hanging on a clothes line, silkscreened on either side of slanting painted multi-color vertical bands, which rise along the height of the metal support. The pairing of photographic images and painted passages that reoccurs through the series reveals Rauschenberg’s ongoing exploration of the relationships between abstraction and representation, painting and photography, and the original and the copy.
Info: Pace Gallery, 12/F, H Queen’s, 80 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong, Duration: 19/9-2/11/18, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-19:00, www.pacegallery.com