Alexander Rodin

[gallery of Alexander Rodin]

Alexander Rodin’s paintings are an event quite unexpected for Belarusian art with its ideological taboos and conventional norms. The art composition in his paintings is based upon the multi-faceted reflections of infinite spaces. The latter undergo constant changes of urban, geological, technocratic and biological nature. And in order to take them to a single image-bearing system Alexander chooses a high panoramic point of view and uses practical monochrome colors of various tonalities.

Diverse sides of Alexander Rodin are seen throughout his works. He seeks to cover everything – both abstractionism and cosmic landscapes. He often turns to technique called “pointillism”. Alexander’s works have always been notable for their polysemanticism. They are compared to the game of chess. Some of his admirers once said – “the first impression from his painting -- they couldn’t have been created by a man”. Alexander paints the universe with microscopic precision. The longer one peers at those silver-black abysses the deeper they become…

Alexander Rodin is an experimentalist in his nature and never repeats himself in his works. In his creative search he resembles Wassily Kandinsky and seeks to develop a certain philosophical composition. Alexander himself says that “…an audience needs some nerve! If an artist has it in his works, if he is stripped and palpable then the audience sees and understands that. I work in a manner that’s unfortunately moved to the background now; it has been substituted for coloring and graphics. I combine avant-garde forms and introduce constructivism and cosmogonism…and through the plasticity of the rhythms and color structures I try to juxtapose the micro and macro cosmos of mental, physical and astral being”.

Alexander Rodin was born in Baranavichy, Belarus in 1947
1971 graduated from the Belarusian Institute of Theater and Art (now the Belarusian Academy of Arts)
1980 became a member of the Belarusian Artists Union
2000 became a member of the "International Guild of Artist". Minsk, Belarus
2001 became a member of the "Contemporary Art Association". Minsk, Belarus

Personal Exhibitions:
1980 Exhibition Hall of Belarusian Artists Union. Minsk, Belarus
1988 “Rush Hour” Exhibition. Minsk, Belarus
1991 The Central Artists’ House. Moscow, Russia
1994 The Center of Modern Arts “The Sixth Line”. Minsk, Belarus
1994 The Centre of Experimental Arts. Vlissingen, Netherlands
1995 CAES Hall. Ris-Orangis, France
1997 Gallery “IFIAC”. Brussels, Belgium
1998-99 Municipality of Vlissingen, Netherlands
1999 The State Art Gallery “The Palace of Art”. Minsk, Belarus
2002 Kunsthaus Tacheles “Second Entry into the Tacheles”. Berlin, Germany
2005 Kunsthaus Tacheles “Free Fall". Berlin, Germany
2005 The Exhibition Hall of the National Library of Belarus. Minsk, Belarus
2006 The Exhibition Hall “Underground”. Minsk, Belarus
2006-2007 Kunsthaus Tacheles “Kali-Yuga”. Berlin, Germany
2007-2008 Kunsthaus Tacheles “Dach-5”. Berlin, Germany

Group Exhibitions:
1971, 1975 “Exhibition of Young Artists” at the National Museum. Minsk, Belarus
1976-1980 Annual “Republican Exhibition” at the National Art Gallery. Minsk, Belarus
1989 “Treasure of the Belarusian Avant-garde”. Minsk, Belarus
1990 The Centre of Contemporary Art “Norblin”. Warsaw, Poland
1991 “Call of Cassandra” at the National Art Gallery. Minsk, Belarus
1992 “Art Shock” at the State Art Gallery “The Palace of Art”. Minsk, Belarus
1993 “Days of Culture - Belarusian Art”, the Exhibition Hall of Ukrainian Artists Union. Kiev, Ukraine
1993 The Central Artists’ House. Moscow, Russia
1994-2001 “Pahonia”, the National Art Gallery. Minsk, Belarus
1994 “The Scorpion” Ship-Museum. Middelburg, Netherlands
1996 “Belarusian Days in France”. Centre of Herbert exhibition hall. Paris, France
2001 “Dach - Belarusian Art”. Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2002 “Center of Pierre Cardin” Art Gallery. Paris, France
2003 'Dach II/Minsk - Berlin'. Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2006 'Der Mechanische Mann der Kultur'. Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2006 'Minsk - Berlin'. Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2007 '3 Dimensions'. Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2007 'Kauft uns warm!'. Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2008 'Victim of Art' Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany 

Alexander Rodin’s works are at the National Art Museum of Belarus, the Museum of Modern Art in Minsk, Belarus and numerous private collections.

ARTICLES:

1. Alexander Rodin and contemporary art. By Larisa Mikhnevich (English translation)
2. Perfectionism or a “Dynamic Equilibrium” of the “Ameliorative Ecstasy”. Article by Zmitser Vishneu
   
3. Interview with the artist (English translation). Alexander Rodin: It’s not easy being an artist in Minsk 
4. Alexander Rodin. Minsk-Berlin. Photos from his recent art shows
5. "Kultura" (Culture) newspaper April 3rd 2004. An interview with Alexander Rodin (in Belarusian), pdf (817KB)
6. "Litaratura i Mastatstva" (Literature and Art) newspaper #50 December 14th 2007. by Galiya Fatykhava. Belarusian in Tacheles (in Belarusian), pdf (624KB)
7. Interview with Alexander Rodin taken from"In Touch" magazine. In Belarusian and in English (900KB)