REYKJAVÍK.- i8 Gallery is presenting an exhibition of works by Swiss-German artist Dieter Roth (1930-1998). The show opened on December 9 and will be on view until January 29, 2022, and includes works on paper, sculptures, and mixed-media works by the artist, many of which were made by Roth while he lived in Iceland.
Throughout his career, Roth produced an extensive collection of artist’s books, drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations, and video works, while also writing and publishing books, poetry, and music. The diversity of materials and mediums within his practice exemplifies a signature fluidity in Roth’s artmaking. Well known for his work with nontraditional materials, particularly those that decay, such as chocolate, fruit, and excrement, Roth continually explored the boundaries of traditional art forms and artistic expression.
The exhibition at i8 includes sculpture and multiples, with a focus on unique works on paper by the artist. Spanning drawing, painting, and mixed media on paper, this presentation amasses a collection of dynamic, expressive works by Roth, largely from the 1960s and '70s. Primarily figurative, Roth’s drawings include influences from Constructivism, geometric abstraction, and Surrealism. Roth’s works on paper, as with his artist books, sculptures, and other mediums, often draw from autobiographical experiences, illustrating how the artist's life and work were fully interconnected.
Born in Hannover, Germany in 1930, Dieter Roth relocated to Switzerland in 1943 during World War II. In 1957, Roth moved to Iceland when he married. Roth, one of the most influential postwar European artists, had a particularly strong effect on the art scene in Iceland, where he resided for many years. A peripatetic figure, Roth worked between many cities in his lifetime, but spent long periods of time in Reykjavík and also in Basel, Switzerland, where he died in 1998. Roth’s work is included in major institutional collections worldwide, including The Tate, London, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and Centre Pompidou, Paris.
