In Antonia Rodrian's paintings, everyday objects often play an autonomous role, serving as tools, artefacts, or archaeological findings within the artwork. These objects act, hold, play, perform, search, shape, and reshape something, positioning themselves as the traces of human gestures remain unknown or undiscovered.
Rodrian's oeuvre is an observation of archaeology, language, identity, social structures, and political events. Rather than directly illustrating these actions, she uses her interest in formalism and the history of painting to overcome the barriers and expectations imposed by representation. Her paintings capture the essence of banalities, which find their natural way onto the canvas, with a wide colour spectrum yet characteristically soft. The structures depicted sometimes turn into abstract lines, and repetitions of forms emphasize the formal structure of the painting. Through her repeated process of questioning representation, Rodrian defines her exceptional style, where painting as a material and positioning of colour is as important as the displayed content.
Antonia Rodrian (b. 1989, Germany) graduated in 2017 with an MA in Fine Art from The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Her work has recently been exhibited at The Serpent Scenes, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Rome (2022, solo); Birdenbire Burada, Kiralik Depo, Istanbul (2022); Open House, Shortlist Schmidt-Rottluff-Scholarship, Brücke Museum, Berlin (2022); I got you covered, Kaiserdamm 102, Berlin (2022); YUBI, sonneundsolche, Düsseldorf (2022); Chronicles 4, Galerie Droste x KPM - Gallery Weekend, Berlin (2022); Schere, Stein, Papier, Wir, Baustelle Schaustelle, Essen (2021, solo); and Wild Blue Yonder, Newchild Gallery, Antwerp (2021). In 2020 she was awarded the Kunstpreis 2020 Baustelle Schaustelle. Rodrian’s artist residencies include Atelier Galata in Istanbul and Bronner Residency in Tel Aviv. In 2017 she founded the off-space sonneundsolche with two fellow artists and is part of the artist collective Gruppe Kilo. The artist lives and works in Düsseldorf.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 / The Serpent Scenes, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Rome
2021 / Schere, Stein, Papier, Wir, Baustelle Schaustelle, Essen
2020 / Für die Dauer einer Pause, sonneundsolche Vitrine, Düsseldorf
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 / (Forthcoming) I’ve got you, KIT, Düsseldorf
2023 / (Forthcoming) City Surfer Office, Prague
2023 / (Forthcoming) Co-Operation-Co-Appreciation, Sissi Club, Marseille
2023 / Foolish Fire, Newchild, Antwerp
2022 / Birdenbire Burada, Kiralik Depo, Istanbul
2022 / Open House: Shortlist Schmidt-Rottluff-Scholarship, Brücke Museum, Berlin
2022 / I got you covered, Kaiserdamm 102, Berlin
2022 / YUBI, sonneundsolche, Düsseldorf
2022 / Chronicles 4, Galerie Droste x KPM - Gallery Weekend, Berlin
2022 / Waldmeister, Super Super Markt, online