S. African artist chalks up his visions
Four children soar above the ground on a giant flying horse. A young boy balances upside-down on his bike, his school papers catching the wind behind him. Children ride a seesaw until they fly off into the air.
In the world of artist Robin Rhode, all it takes is a piece of chalk and anything is possible. The South African artist draws images on vacant lots, city buildings -- wherever chalk will stick -- and then interacts with them as if they were real.
For instance, he might draw a car on a wall and then change its tire. He often photographs this performance graffiti and then combines the successive images and drawings into stop-action animations.
The trick is simple. The feel is often humorous. But the message is dead serious. Some drawings fulfill longings -- say, a seesaw for local kids. Others offer more biting social commentary. In a nod to Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain," Rhode once drew a urinal on a wall inside the South African National Gallery, and then made use of it. He titled the piece "Leak."
Five of Rhode's animations are on exhibit at Brandeis University's Rose Museum in Waltham through July 25. Included in the show is "SEE/SAW," which Rhode says has become a very important piece for him.
"The work was created on a street corner in Johannesburg, a charged space in a South African context," he says. The corner sits opposite a playground destroyed by vandalism. "A dysfunctional site now becomes a starting point for the work. . . . I've recreated the past memory of a space," says Rhode.
"When I created the piece, I had almost the whole neighborhood watching in amusement, that this object could once again exist, as a drawing, on a paved sidewalk, filled with dried bubblegum that almost now functions as stars in the animation."
His work has been compared to Duchamp's and the dadaists'. Rose Museum curator Raphaela Platow also likens it to "early Eadweard Muybridge chronophotography or Georges Mlis's films. But he's really able to transport the message into the 21st century."
"His works talk in a very interesting way about social space in an urban environment, and that there are certain things that are just not available, especially in the 'colored' neighborhoods where he grew up," says Platow.
Rhode, who studied fine art and film in South Africa and now lives in Berlin, does sometimes refer to earlier artists. But the origins of his unique style lie in the hazing at his Johannesburg high school.
"The boys were taken into the boys' toilets, a piece of chalk was taken from a school class, an object was drawn onto the walls [like a bicycle], and the young student was asked to ride this bicycle. Sometimes a candle was drawn onto the wall. We would ask someone to blow it out," he says. Those who failed the challenge were punished with beatings or robbings "in jest," says Rhode, adding, "It was a tough high school."
"Robin Rhode: The Animators" runs through July 25 at the Rose Art Museum on the Brandeis campus, 415 South St., Waltham. Admission is $3. Hours are Tues. through Sun. from noon to 5 p.m. Call 781-736-4204 or visit www.brandeis.edu/rose.
ARTS, CRAFTS, AND FRESH AIR -- Dicky Waldron says she's not an artist or crafter. Nor, she says, are any of the members of the Friends of the Sherborn Library Annual Arts & Craft Fair committee. But the group of volunteers crafts this yearly, juried festival of handmade works with the careful attention of jewelers.
This Saturday, when visitors peruse the wares of 100 artisans at the outdoor fair held on the Sherborn Library grounds, no booth will stand by chance.
"We try to maintain a mix or balance of crafts," says Waldron, who cochairs the committee. "We have very high-end painters, whose works go for thousands of dollars, as well as more trinkety things like tie-dye that really appeal to the kids. We have a woman that makes stuffed frogs. "
The show mainly draws artists from New England, though some, like Southwestern-style jeweler Ruth Dodge of Arizona, come from farther away. "We also try to give a lot of emphasis to local folks," says Waldron. "We have a lot of hidden artists around here."
From Nancy Evans's (Sherborn) aerial photography to Jai Kelley's (Newton) lifelike flowers made of cornstarch to Bill McGregor's (Johnston, R.I.) colored pencil sketches, there's plenty to browse. Plant and book sales round out the selection.
For kids, the fair offers magic shows, balloon animals, do-it-yourself craft booths, games, and fun stuff for sale such as marionettes, tutus, and wands.
Or stop by Eric Schwartz's booth. The artist from Revere will write your name on a grain of rice.
Like all good fairs, snacks from burgers to baked goods will abound. The Dover-Sherborn Middle School Jazz Band plays at 10:30 a.m. Fair proceeds benefit programs at the library.
The fair takes place, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 8 at the Sherborn Library, 4 Sanger St., Sherborn. Admission is free. Call 508-653-0770.
MADNESS AND MATH ONSTAGE -- Through the crucible of one emotionally charged weekend in a family's old Chicago home, Catherine, Claire, and Hal struggle with love, madness, and the ever-tangled threads of family relationships. Oh, and they do a little math, too.
David Auburn's 2001 Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Proof" opens tonight at Vokes Theatre in Wayland. The play centers on 25-year-old Catherine (Susan Condit of Framingham), who has spent years caring for her mad-genius mathematician father, Robert (David Warnock of Malden).
The sacrifice has left her in an emotional void. Now, following her father's death, she must face not only her family's legacy of madness but the return of her estranged sister, Claire (Melissa Sine of Andover) and the attentions of Hal (Judson Pierce of Arlington), a former student of Robert's. Just as Hal hunts through Robert's papers in search of some undiscovered mathematical formula, Catherine searches for her own sanity and answers.
Director Celia Couture's work with the cast has straddled the realms of theater and psychology. "We spent a lot of time talking about relationships and their impact on families," she says. "I love digging in to understand characters."
"Proof" opens tonight at Vokes Theatre, 97 Boston Post Road, Wayland. The show runs through May 22 with show times at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on May 15 and 22. Tickets are $13 to $15. Call 508-358-4034 or visit www.vokesplayers.org.
TURNING BACK THE DIAL -- With a voice so gravelly you could almost build a road with it, and a vibe so cool it cuts the heat like lemonade, Leon Redbone doesn't just play old-time tunes, he inhabits them.
More than a quarter-century into his acclaimed career, Redbone is still the master of musical mementos. It's not just that he has a knack for turning up forgotten tunes rather, it seems like he sprang from an old Victrola himself.
Redbone performs this Saturday at 8 p.m. at The Center for Arts in Natick, 14 Summer St., Natick. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door (student/senior $1 discount). Call 508-647-0097 or visit www.natickarts.org.
DON'T MISS -- Another stalwart of the American music scene plays this weekend as well. Honey-voiced, folk-pop troubadour Livingston Taylor performs a benefit concert for the Arts Center at Southborough this Saturday.
Taylor may be best known for his Top 40 hits from the '70s, but he never stopped recording or performing, and his cheerful sound still draws a huge, loyal following. He'll be playing tunes old and new (he's currently cutting a gospel-edged album in Nashville with Take 6, The Winans, and brother James's ex, Carly Simon).
Proceeds from the show will benefit renovations to the arts center. Pay an extra $10 to $15 and you can mingle with Taylor at a preshow reception.
Taylor plays at 8:30 p.m. on May 8 at the Assabet Valley Regional High School, 214 Fitchburg St., Marlborough. The reception starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, or $35 for the concert and reception. Call 508-485-6033.
Send news of your arts-related events to Denise Taylor at WestArts@globe.com.
