ROB WILL: FREE!
HAMBURG: Kukuun
The work of the artist, Rob Will: “An insight into his life as an inmate on
Death Row,” will be on exhibition at Kukuun from January 27th through
February 10th, 2012.
Rob Will was sentenced to death in January
of 2002 for murder. Rob has always maintained his innocence. He was 23-years-old
when he was put on Death Row in Livingston, Texas.
Seeking balance in his soul, Rob turned to
fine art, developing his work through a self-taught process of experimentation.
Thoughts, desires, fears and dreams are expressed with a versatility that veers
between impulse and control. With the few materials available to him on Death
Row, Rob transcends the poor quality of a limited supply to create his powerful
images. Often, he creates the colors, the ‘canvas’, and even the paintbrush by
his own limited means. For Rob, necessity is the mother of invention.
In one image, he’s drawn with a ballpoint
pen the life-like image of an eagle—the symbol of freedom—onto a map found on
the reverse side of a letter from a friend.
Rob’s magnum opus, “The Book Of The Damned”
(cp. the image on the right side), captures his inventive spirit and astonishes
the viewer with its complexity. Prepared in a laborious manner, it is painted
on a paper bag that he methodically crumpled and smoothed for the desired
effect. He primed his canvas by attaching it to the top of his metal cage and
coloring by hand its various layers. Coloring such a large field poses a real
challenge in a 5-meter-square cell where he only has access to a very small
writing tablet. Pay particular attention to the red dots on this painting. Upon
closer inspection you discover bits of red plastic affixed to the surface.
These represent the spent bullets of chemical warfare, collected by Rob in the
aftermath of an assault by prison guards with grenades and semi-automatic
rifles.
A certified master of Yoga, Rob is devoted
to self-awareness and studies philosophy, psychology and social policy. He is a
scholar of Nietzsche. He regularly writes updates from Death Row for the public,
sharing his views of global and current events, and depicting the hellish conditions
on Death Row. These poignant, hand written updates are included in the
exhibition. Rob’s activism, his commitment to peaceful protest, hunger strikes and
sit-ins protesting the living conditions on death row and the inevitable
executions of fellow inmates, is regularly greeted with tear gas and harsh disciplinary
measures that further worsen the repressive living conditions.
This exhibition premieres the recent work
of this fine artist at Kukuun in Hamburg, Germany. Come for an insight into the
inner life of Rob Will, an inmate on Death Row.
Vernissage: Friday, January 27th, 2012, 19:
30
The exhibition will remain on display until
February 10th, 2012
Opening hours: Thursday to Saturday, from
20:00
Place: Spielbudenplatz 22 – 1. OG St Pauli
www.kukuun.wordpress.com
www.freerobwill.org |
www.robwilldeutschland.blogspot.com | www.drivemovement.org
contact: Susan Nowacki robwilldeutschland@gmail.com
