Rodrian's work weaves together memory and composition, creating visual narratives oscillating between the intimate and the abstract. Her approach is akin to a close-up, slow-motion lens, where the seemingly ordinary becomes a site of exploration. Through this magnified perspective, simple moments are transmuted into layered compositions that transcend their everyday origins. These actions, removed from their original context and reimagined on the canvas, are not depicted in a literal sense but are instead distilled to their essence, evoking a sense of nearness, as if one is leaning in to catch a whispered secret.
Rodrian’s pieces seam to build on the rich tradition of Dutch and Flemish still life painting from the 16th and 17th centuries, echoing the meticulous attention to detail and the symbolic resonance of the depicted objects. However, Rodrian’s focus diverges from literal representation, instead emphasizing the geometry and essence of objects, distilling them into abstractions that transcend their everyday meanings.
In Rodrian’s world, simple moments transcend their everyday simplicity, morphing into new realms painted with a gentle, soft palette. The structures depicted sometimes dissolve into abstract lines, while the repetition of forms emphasizes the formal composition of the painting. Through her continuous interrogation of representation, Rodrian defines her distinctive style, where the materiality of painting and the positioning of color are as important as the subject matter itself.
Antonia Rodrian (b. 1989, Germany) graduated in 2017 with an MA in Fine Art from The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Recent solo and group exhibitioins include On Paper, Newchild, online (2024); Return to Sender, Non-Sight, Istanbul (2024); Group show NRW, Le Feuvre & Roze Gallery, Paris (2024); Personal Showcase, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Rome (2024); I’ve got you, KIT, Düsseldorf (2024); Frag den Abendwind, Akademie-Galerie, Düsseldorf (2023); So close, come on, Badr El Jundi Gallery, Madrid (2023); Sousedky, City Surfer Office, Prague (2023); Co-Operation-Co-Appreciation, SISSI Club, Marseille (2023); Foolish Fire, Newchild, Antwerp (2023); 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 Berlin.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 / Matching Shapes and Midnight Snacks, Newchild, Antwerp
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
2024 / (Forthcoming) The Armory Show, Nino Mier Gallery, New York
2024 / On Paper, Newchild, online
2024 / Return to Sender, Non-Sight, Istanbul
2024 / Group show NRW, Le Feuvre & Roze Gallery, Paris
2024 / Personal Showcase, Galerie Rolando Anselmi, Rome
2023 / I’ve got you, KIT, Düsseldorf
2023 / Frag den Abendwind, Akademie-Galerie, Düsseldorf
2023 / So close, come on, Badr El Jundi Gallery, Madrid
2023 / Sousedky, City Surfer Office, Prague
2023 / 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