Alexander Rodin. About the artist

Alexander Rodin was a contemporary Belarusian artist celebrated for his monumental canvases brimming with astonishing detail. He lived and worked for 12 years at Kunsthaus Tacheles in Berlin, Germany, a hub for avant-garde art.

Alexander Rodin's work represents a striking departure from the taboos and conventional norms of Belarusian art. His compositions are built upon multi-dimensional reflections of infinite spaces, which undergo constant transformations - urban, geological, technological, and biological. To unify these elements into a cohesive visual narrative, Rodin often adopted a high panoramic perspective and employed practical monochromatic tones with varying shades and contrasts.

Alexander Rodin's versatility as an artist is evident throughout his oeuvre. His works encompass a broad spectrum, from abstraction to cosmic landscapes, often rendered using the meticulous technique of “pointillism.” His art is renowned for its rich layers of meaning, drawing comparisons to a game of chess. Admirers have described their first encounter with his paintings as otherworldly - so intricate and precise that they seem almost beyond human creation. Rodin portrayed the universe with microscopic detail, creating silver-black abysses that seem to deepen the longer one gazes into them.

An experimentalist at heart, Alexander Rodin never repeated himself. His artistic journey has drawn parallels to Wassily Kandinsky, as he pursued a unique philosophical approach to composition. Rodin himself remarked that art requires nerve - both from the artist and the audience. He believed that if an artist imbues their work with raw, palpable emotion, the audience will see and feel it.

“I work in a manner that has sadly been overshadowed in contemporary art,” Rodin said. “It’s been replaced by surface-level coloring and graphics. I strive to merge avant-garde forms with elements of constructivism and cosmogonism. Through the rhythmic flow of forms and the interplay of color, I aim to juxtapose the micro and macro cosmos - the mental, physical, and astral realms of existence.”

Alexander Rodin was born in Baranavichy, Belarus in 1947. He died on December 19, 2022.
1971 graduated from the Belarusian Academy of Arts
1980 became a member of the Belarusian Artists Union
2000 became a member of the International Guild of Artist
2001 became a member of the Contemporary Art Association
since 2001 a resident artist of Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany.

Solo Exhibitions:
1980 Exhibition Hall of Belarusian Artists Union, Minsk, Belarus
1988 Rush Hour, Minsk, Belarus
1990 Cassandra Call, the National Art Museum, Minsk, Belarus
1991 The Central Artists House, Moscow, Russia
1994 Sixth Line Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
1994 The Centre of Experimental Arts, Vlissingen, the Netherlands
1995 CAES Hall, Ris-Orangis, France
1997 IFIAC Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
1998-99 Municipality of Vlissingen, the Netherlands
1999 Secret and Explicit, the National Art Museum, Minsk, Belarus
2001 Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2002 Second Entry into the Tacheles, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2005 Free Fall, Kunsthaus Tacheles Berlin, Germany
2005 The National Library of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
2006 Podzemka Art Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
2006-2007 Kali Yuga, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2007-2008 Dach-5, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2001-2012 Ongoing exhibition at Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany

Group Exhibitions:
1971, 1975 Art Show of Young Artists, the National Museum, Minsk, Belarus
1976-1980 Annual Art Showthe National Art Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
1989 Treasure of the Belarusian Avant-garde, Minsk, Belarus
1990 The Centre of Contemporary Art Norblin, Warsaw, Poland
1992 Art Shock, Palace of Art Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
1993 Days of Belarusian Art at the Exhibition Hall of Ukrainian Artists Union, Kyev, Ukraine
1993 The Central Artists House, Moscow, Russia
1994-2001 Pahonia, Palace of Art Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
1996 Belarusian Days in France, Centre of Herbert, Paris, France
2001 Dach - Belarusian Art, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2002 Center of Pierre Cardin, Paris, France
2003 Dach II, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2006 Der Mechanische Mann der Kultur, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2006 Minsk - Berlin, Kunsthaus Tacheles. Berlin, Germany
2007 Dimensions, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2007 Kauft uns warm!, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2008 Victims of Art, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2008 Absent Belarusian Art, Museum of Non-Conformist Art, St. Petersburg, Russia
2009 Victims of Art (Dach-9), Palace of Arts Gallery, Minsk, Belarus
2010 Belarusian Art Week, the National Art Museum, Minsk, Belarus
2010 Dach 10, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
2011 East Meets West, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Berlin, Germany

Alexander Rodin's works are part of the collections at the National Art Museum of Belarus, the Museum of Modern Art in Minsk, the Hasso-Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, and numerous private collections in Germany, Switzerland, the UK, France, the USA, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, Belgium, and other countries.