Robin Rhode: 0,0,0

robin rhode: 0,0,0
 
pigment print on paper, hand signed in pencil 
 
published in 2025 
by comptoir des arts franches montagnes (cafm)
saint-brais, switzerland
 
printed by foto labor brügger, basel 
 
edition of 250, 30 x 30 cm in a frame of 32 x 32 x 3.5 cm
 
including wooden shadow gap frame
 
0,0,0: a global snapshot of non-objective art in the digital age
commemorating the 110th anniversary of kazimir malevich’s groundbreaking 0,10 exhibition (petrograd, 1915), the 0,0,0 portfolio is a seminal contemporary project that explores the enduring legacy of geometric and non-representational art worldwide.
 
the title “0,0,0” references the pure state of the color black in programming code, symbolizing the core principle of maximum reduction and universal applicability—a direct conceptual bridge to malevich's revolutionary "zero form."
 
this limited-edition portfolio gathers 30 original works by international artists, showcasing the vibrant, transcultural evolution of constructivist principles across different generations and continents. it is a visual dialogue between the historical avant-garde and the logic of our networked, digital world.
 
we travel from the world of pure construction to the streets of johannesburg to meet an artist who introduces a singular format to the collection: robin rhode.   his contribution stands out immediately: it is the only photographic work in the entire 0,0,0 portfolio. but for rhode, the camera is merely a witness to a much deeper, physical event.
 
"i consider here photography only in terms of capturing a wall drawing and the performance that animates it," he explains. drawing is the true engine of his work: "drawing is really at the core of my aesthetics. it is the central narrative towards which everything else gravitates". queloz gave us the geometry as a target; rhode gives us the geometry as a social act. his working method is profoundly communal. rhode rarely works alone; he orchestrates a team—often young people from his community in johannesburg—to bring his visions to life. it is a process of constant negotiation and movement. together, they sketch, paint, and interact with the surface, turning the concrete wall into a "shamanistic" space of imagination.
 
the art is not just the final photograph, but the energy of the collaboration itself.   while he flirts with many mediums, his ultimate wish remains intimate: "to draw, become an abstract painter and find inner peace in the process". for the 0,0,0 portfolio, rhode captures the residue of this search—a moment where the strict lines of geometry are softened by the human pulse.