Rodney Graham

Ponderosa Pine IV 1991 101

Ponderosa Pine IV belongs to a series of large-scale photographs of trees taken by Graham and depicts a particular species that live in Northern California. The photograph is framed upside down; these “inverted trees” follow Graham’s...

Dance!!! 2008 101

Dance!!!!! continues Graham’s long-standing fascination with the myth of the American West, an idea he investigates through its prevalence in movies, music, and legends. Here, the artist recreates the familiar, hackneyed saloon scene...

Good Hand Bad Hand 2010 101

Good Hand Bad Hand was created especially for the 2010 show Rodney Graham: Painter, Poet, Lighthouse Keeper at the Lisson Gallery in London. In this pair of light boxes, Graham appears as one of his many alter egos—a gambler...

Conceptual artist Rodney Graham’s oeuvre is highly versatile and intellectual. By incorporating fictional narratives and alternative interpretations into an existing context, Graham creates visual puns that layer historical reference to examine social and philosophical systems. Not only is Graham the behind-the-scenes sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, inventor, scholar, writer and singer in his projects, he also literally appears in the finished works, impersonating various fictional characters.