Robin Rose: THE BIG PAYBACK

November 12–December 23, 2011
Washington DC—Hemphill opens Robin Rose: The Big Payback on Saturday, November 12, 2011, with a public reception from 6:30–8:30pm.

Each painting in Robin Rose’s newest body of encaustic work offers a unique experience, parallel to the experience undergone as the artist creates the work. Rose intends for the viewer to experience an initial moment of recognition upon first encountering his paintings. He anticipates the viewer’s inclination to respond intuitively to visual stimuli and draw associations with familiar images, ideas, and feelings.

Something familiar is suggested, without being literally revealed. The paintings in The Big Payback are each associated with a piece of music by one of Rose’s musical heroes. These references can be loose or tight, in many cases revealing themselves only after the painting is complete. In “Kinda Blue”, a painting inspired by the Miles Davis album of the same name, ultramarine blue rings and dots swirl in a whirlpool-like formation. In “Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love”, which references a track on the “Birds of Fire” album by John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, icy white threads radiate from the center of the composition, creating a raised heap of chaos where they intersect.

James Brown’s 1973 double album and title track “The Payback” was originally slotted to be the soundtrack for a blaxploitation film called “Hell Up in Harlem.” Rejected by the film’s director, Larry Cohen, for not being funky enough, the album was released by Brown and went on to be #1 on the Soul Albums chart. “Make It Funky/The Big Payback” was later used as the title for a James Brown compilation album.

Born in 1946 in Ocala, Florida, Robin Rose received his Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University. Rose’s work has been exhibited in New York, California, and Washington, DC. His work has been widely
collected by museums and private collectors, including the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and The Phillips Collection.

GALLERY HOURS
Tuesday–Saturday, 10:00am–5:00pm, and by appointment
Gallery will be closed November 24–26 for the Thanksgiving Holiday

CONTACT
Shira Kraft
HEMPHILL Fine Arts
1515 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
202.234.5601
Shira at Hemphill Fine Arts
www.hemphillfinearts.com

The exhibition will remain on view through December 23, 2011.