Photography: Beyond the Surface:
Opening reception: 4-6 p.m. today, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019
Exhibition runs: Nov. 9 - Jan. 12
Address: 665 W Lancaster Blvd, Lancaster, CA 93534
Solo exhibitions: Matthew Finley, Rob Grad, John Peralta, Melanie Pullen, Christopher Russell, Joni Sternbach, Rodrigo Valenzuela, and a site-specific installation by Kira Vollman. Selections from the Permanent Collection are also included in the exhibition.
Rob Grad is a musician and visual artist. He manipulates photographic images into sculptural objects. Rob is in the current show at MOAH, the Museum of Art and History, titled Photography: Beyond the Surface. The opening reception will be 4 to 6 p.m. today, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.
Q: Tell us about the work you have in the show at MOAH:
When I met with the curators at the museum to choose which work to include in the show, I had a new series started that I really thought would make the best exhibition. They liked the couple pieces I had, and we went with it. The only problem was that the series was in its infancy, and I had just committed myself to a big show without really having mapped out what I was making.
So it’s been an interesting journey making this work. I just dove in and let the images sort of tell me where to go with it.
I came up with a series is called “Finding Foreverland.” It was inspired by a poem I wrote about the wisdom and authenticity of a flower’s life. “The most delicate flower is still a badass…It even looks good old. And dies without apologizing.”
I decided to create metaphorical characters, essentially personifying nature into beings who are struggling to grasp the wisdom and natural ease of life that the flower so naturally embodies.
I used photographs I took in natural settings in different times and places, being most interested in the alchemy of complementary environments rather than any particular time and place. Then I cropped the photos into hand painted shapes with colors and text, and assembled them as 3D wall hangings. I knew I was throwing away the classic rectangular formate, but I don’t think I wound up with a single straight line or right angle in any of the works. I’m feeling pretty good about that.
It’s sort of a complicated process, but feels really natural to me now. This series also has my largest piece to date. It’s installed on a 25’ x 25’ wall as you walk into the museum. You can’t miss it when you walk in. It’s big. And loud. Working at that size presented a lot of new challenges to me that I really enjoyed figuring out.
Q: You are both a musician and visual artist. Do the two artistic mediums build on each other, or do they compete for your time?
My years in music absolutely influence my visual work. I bring a lot of elements together that normally might seem incongruous, and make them cohesive. Much like different instruments layered together compose a recording. The spontaneous way in which I make my shapes also have a performance element to the process.
I view all creative endeavors like speaking different languages. The art is in the communication of an idea and/or feeling. There are infinite mediums and different ways to do that. So when I started focusing on visual work about 10 years ago, it really just felt like I was learning a new language.
The two mediums don’t really compete for time anymore. Unless a specific project comes up, like a music video for TikTok China I did over the summer with a movie director, I devote 90% of my time to my visual work. I do have an EP I’d like to put out next year of a performance art bit I did in Paris and LA. I love those songs and it’s bugging me I haven’t put them out.
But otherwise, I’m grateful and fortunate to have as much work in my visual world as I do, so I’m focused on that.
Rob Grad, Spectator 3, based on visit to Prime Desert Woodlands Preserve
Q: You recently visited the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve in Lancaster. Tell us about your experience and how nature can inspire art.
I loved it there! A beautiful oasis. I grew up going to the desert for our family summer vacations. It was hot as hell, but cheap and quiet. I learned to really appreciate the stillness. My wife Ellie and I took a nice walk through the Preserve. Lots of raw material for artwork. Cactus have so much personality and can be fantastic metaphors. I use them a lot. Especially in this new series.
Nature IS art. Composition. Arrangement. Color. We as humans can never match that. All we can do is contribute. If you really analyze nature, I think you can learn 90% of what it takes to be an artist.
Q: How important is photography in your artistic work?
Photography is key for me. Most of my work represents a contrast in my internal and external worlds, and photography allows me direct reference to physicality. I don’t know if I’ll always use it this way, but for now, I see it as one of my main foundational building blocks. Having said that, I’ll almost never use a singular photograph. They are multiple exposure, or layered, or cropped into my painted shapes. There are a lot of people in this world who can take great pictures of things. That’s not my sweet spot. I use photography as a tool.
Q: What career highlights are you most proud of and why?
Pride. Interesting question. I have some good memories, but I’m not sure how proud I am :)
Musically, getting signed to RCA Records with my first band, Kik Tracee when I was 20 years old. It was a huge accomplishment that most musicians never get to experience. It was a great ride for awhile. I’d have to say the 20-minute performance I did on the Simone-de-Beauvoir bridge in Paris. I had a magical experience in Paris on vacation once, and to hear my music bouncing off the walls of the Seine years later, while the sun was going down, I teared up. Also, in my second band, Superfine, I didn’t wear pants for 4 years. Only pajamas. It started as fun thing, and then it became a “thing” of its own. I had a huge collection, and even had a pajama tour on the band’s website for awhile.
In my visual work, there are quite a few things. I think the fact that I’m here at all, doing this, even answering these questions, is something I feel good about. I've loved art my whole life. But for years when I was strictly a musician, I figured maybe I’d paint in another life. Or when I retired. I had no idea it’d be something I would wind up doing full time. I love it. I showed in Basel during Art Basel, and SCOPE in Miami. 2019 has been a transformative year for me in my visual work and I know I’m just at the I’m grateful for the experience I’m having with my work and been really trying to take some moments to honor that. It’s easy to just keep barreling ahead.
I’m also proud of the work I have at MOAH opening this weekend. I think this will be my best show to date. I pushed myself way beyond what I was comfortable doing and I think it paid off. I am also just finishing a 32’ commissioned mural in a building in Brentwood. It gets installed in a few weeks. It’s some of my best work.
