Xavier Robles de Medina
Ai Sranang, 2017
Xavier Robles de Medina
The short film by Surinamese artist Xavier Robles de Medina is composed predominantly of video footage sourced from archives and documentaries surrounding several key events that have shaped the political and social climate of Suriname through the 20th and 21st century. Informed by the film “Love is the Message, the Message is Death” by Arthur Jafa, this video montage sees Robles de Medina explore issues around colonization, postcoloniality, trauma, and national identity. The work doubles as a filmic mirror or twin to the artist’s drawing practice, as Robles de Medina’s drawings involve a rigorous study and engagement with film and video footage to inform the idiosyncratic “video-still-realism.” Iconic historical footage of the Independence celebrations is contrasted with contemporary footage extracted from Suriname commercials and news. Images and metaphors for journeys combine to raise a larger question around history and identity.
Music: Lieve Hugo “Oeng Booi” “Blaka Rosoe”
XAVIER ROBLES DE MEDINA (b. 1990, Surinam)
Xavier Robles de Medina is based in London. In 2019 he graduated from the Master’s program in Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London. Robles de Medina’s combined consideration of surface, and personal archive—spanning from generic signs to highly specific historical sources—are meditated via the Cartesian coordinate system. In 2015 he was nominated for the Prix de Rome Visual Arts (NL), and the following year he earned a place on the shortlist of the Royal Award for Modern Painting (NL). Recent solo exhibitions include, if you dream of your tongue, beware at Catinca Tabacaru New York (2016); als het hele lichaam oor zou zij (if the whole body were an ear) at Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname (2018); The Future Looms Dark and that we can Scarcely at Barbé Urbain Gallery, Belgium (2018); and Opportunity Cost at Praz-Delavallade, Los Angeles (2019). Upcoming solo exhibitions include Praz-Delavallade, Paris (2020), and the SCAD Museum of Art’s Emerging Artist Annex (2020).
BORN 1990 IN PARAMARIBO, SURINAME
LIVES AND WORKS IN LONDON, ENGLAND
EDUCATION
- 2019
MFA in Fine Art, Goldsmiths, London, England
- 2012
BFA in Painting and Animation, Magna Cum Laude, Savannah College of Art and Design, (SCAD) Savannah, GA
- 2008
Bilingual International Baccalaureate Diploma, St.Clare’s, Oxford, England
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS
- 2018
From Shape to Form, Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University, USA; Curator: Jon Seals
- 2016
Exhibition of the IAOCA, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Japan
Zig Zag Zim, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Harare; Curator: Catinca Tabacaru
SOLO AND TWO-ARTIST EXHIBITIONS
- 2020
FAYA LOBI, Praz Delavallade, Paris
- 2019
MFA, Goldsmiths, London, England
Opportunity Cost, Praz Delavallade, Los Angeles- 2018
als het hele lichaam oor zou zijn” (if the whole body were an ear), Readytex Art Gallery, Surinam
The Future Looms Dark and That We Can Scarcely, Barbé Urbain, Gent, Belgium- 2017
TNF with Xavier Robles de Medina, Readytex Art Gallery, Surinam
X-C: Transference Between Neighbors, (with Clément Carat), WOW International, Amsterdam
If you dream of your tongue, beware, Catinca Tabacaru, New York- 2012
Atelo, Little Beasts Gallery, Savannah, USA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2019
SOUND OF SILENCE, Praz Delavallade, Los Angeles
ZWRT, Barbé Urbain, Gent, Belgium- 2018
CTG-R: ZIMBABWE, Catinca Tabacaru, Zimbabwe
Material, The COB Gallery, London
Drawing in Gallery, Galerie ALB, Paris
Power & Ancestors, WM gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Celebrates 25th Anniversary, Readytex Art Gallery, Suriname- 2017
While Meditating on War, CBK Zuidoost, Amsterdam; curator: Ronit Eden
- 2016
Zig Zag Zim, Catinca Tabacaru, New York
- 2015
Fictions and Constructions, Catinca Tabacaru, New York
- 2014
OPEN, WOW International, Amsterdam, Netherlands
It Begins on Paper, Catinca Tabacaru, New York- 2013
Ever Ours, Beethoven Festival: LOVE 2013, Chicago; curator: Catinca Tabacaru
Slideluck, Oglethorpe Gallery, Savannah, USA
THE SKETCHBOOK SHOW!!!, Ashmore Gallery, Savannah, USA- 2012
META, Gallery 263, Cambridge, USA
Small Works 2012, Gutstein Gallery, Savannah, USA
Cherchez La Vérité, The Porch, Savannah, USA
Little Beasts Gallery, Savannah, USA
Far From Home, Blue Gallery, Savannah, USA
THE SKETCHBOOK SHOW!!!, Little Beasts Gallery, Savannah, USA- 2011
Drawing Works, Alexander Gallery, Savannah, USA
AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- 2016
Royal Award for Modern Painting (shortlist), Royal Palace Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 2015
Prix de Rome (Visual Arts nominee), The Mondriaan Fund, Netherlands
- 2012
Artistic Honors Scholarship, Savannah College of Art and Design
RESIDENCIES
- 2019
CTG-R: Finland in collaboration with the Serlachius Museum, Mänttä, Finland (upcoming)
- 2018
CTG-R: Zimbabwe, Harare
- 2017
CTG-R: Zimbabwe, Harare
WOW Amsterdam, The Netherlands- 2015
CTG-R: Zimbabwe, Harare
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Fondation L’Art Est Vivant
National Gallery of Zimbabwe
SELECTED PRESS
Janssens, Mieke, “The Future Looms Dark and That We Can Scarcely,” The Art Couch (March 26, 2018)
Salmeron, François, “Cinq jeunes artistes de moins de 35 ans,” Le Quotidien de l’Art (March 22, 2018)
Tabacaru, Catinca, “#TheLIST: Up-and-Coming Artists You Need to Know,” Harper’s Bazaar (February 15, 2018)
Grote Nederlandse Kunstkalender (2018)
Wajwakana, Audry, “Xavier Robles de Medina ‘signeert’ met snelportretten,” De Ware Tijd, p. 8A (June 30, 2017)
Dees, Sasha, “Broedplaats WOW Amsterdam,” Trendbeheer (April 20, 2017)
McVey, Kurt, “Surinamese Artist Xavier Robles de Medina Mixes Dream Theory And Politics in First Solo Exhibition,” Forbes (January 31, 2017)
Ronner, Abby, “Photorealistic Drawings Explore the Trippy Dreamscape of Cultural Identity,” VICE (January 28, 2017)
Zimmer, Lori, “Xavier Robles de Medina at Catinca Tabacaru,” Art Nerd New York (January 24, 2017)
Clemoes, Charlie, “Vinteuil – A Conversation with Xavier Robles de Medina” pt. 2, European Echo (January 20, 2017)
Gummels-Relyveld, Cassandra, “Jonge artiest met Surinaamse roots exposeert in New York,” De Ware Tijd, p. 6A (January 19, 2017)
Blouin Artinfo, “Xavier Robles de Medina at Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York,” Blouin Artinfo (January 18, 2017)
Gummels-Relyveld, Cassandra, “Xavier Robles de Medina exposeert in Catinca Tabacaru Gallery in New York,” Dagblad Suriname, People, p. 25 (January 18, 2017)
Arabadjis, Chris (trans. Gummels-Relyveld, Cassandra), “Eerste solo expositie Xavier Robles de Medina in New York,” Starnieuws Suriname (January 11, 2017)
Clemoes, Charlie, “Buy & Create – An interview with Xavier Robles de Medina,” European Echo (December 23, 2016)
Perrée, Rob, “The could-be-reality of Xavier Robles de Medina,” AFRICANAH (May 9, 2016)
Headley, Kevin, “In Gesprek Met,” ATV-Suriname (January 6, 2016)
Vercouteren, Senne, “Faces of WOW: Xavier Robles de Medina,” WOW Amsterdam Stories (November 5, 2015)
Goredema, Baynham, “Surinamese artist Xavier Robles de Medina in Zimbabwe,” POVO Journal 2015, Issue 07, p. 33 – 35 (September 2015)
Garan’anga, Stephen, “Dzimbanhete hosts artist in residency programme,” The Herald (September 11, 2015)
Pitter, Michael, “Understanding an Artist,” In Parenthesis literary magazine (October 15, 2012)