Nigel Rolfe

Nigel Rolfe (born 1950) is an English-born performance artist and video artist based in Ireland.[2][3][4] He is a member of Aosdána, an elite association of Irish artists.[5]

Nigel Rolfe
Born1950 (age 72–73)
Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
NationalityEnglish, Irish[1]
Alma materFarnham School of Art
Bath Academy of Art
Known forperformance art, video art
MovementContemporary art
SpouseAngela Rolfe
ElectedAosdána (2000)
Websitewww.greenonredgallery.com/nigel-rolfe

Biography

Rolfe was born on the Isle of Wight in 1950.[6] He studied at the Farnham School of Art and Bath Academy of Art.[7]

Career

Rolfe moved to Ireland in 1974, working at the Project Arts Centre.[8][9] In the late 1970s, Rolfe became active in performance art.[10] According to the Irish Museum of Modern Art, his work "encompasses installation, drawing, photography, video and audio media, and examines the influence of history on the individual and society."[11] In the 1980s–90s he worked with the group Black Market International. In the 1980s, his work was mostly in reference to The Troubles.[12] In 1984, The Washington Post said, "He is a performance sculptor, whose speciality is creating ground paintings and hanging shrouds out of natural materials, such as flour and soot, and rolling his naked body in them until he has erased his creation or transferred it to himself."[13]

In 1990, his work "Hand On Face" was shown at Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa.[14] In 1991 he received funding from the American National Endowment for the Arts.[15]

In 1989, he wrote a song for Christy Moore, "Middle of the Island," inspired by the death of Ann Lovett.[16] In 1994, he worked with Moore, writing a song, "Tiles and Slabs," inspired by Brendan O'Donnell, a triple murderer from County Clare.[17][18]

Rolfe received a retrospective at IMMA in 1994 and at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris in 1996.[19][20] In 2000, he was elected to Aosdána.[5]

As a performance artist, he cites Joseph Beuys, Pina Bausch and Marina Abramović as inspirations.[14]

Rolfe has taught at the Royal College of Art, London, Chelsea School of Art and Design and the University of Pennsylvania.[21]

Personal life

Rolfe lives in Dublin.[22] His wife, Angela, is an architect.[13][23]

References
  1. Pawlowski, T. (6 December 2012). Aesthetic Values. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9789400924529 – via Google Books.
  2. LLC, New York Media (30 April 1990). "New York Magazine". New York Media, LLC – via Google Books.
  3. Russell, Ian Alden; Cochrane, Andrew (19 November 2013). Art and Archaeology: Collaborations, Conversations, Criticisms. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9781461489900 – via Google Books.
  4. "Glucksman Gallery". University College Cork.
  5. O'byrne, Robert. "Aosdana to press for new arts body". The Irish Times.
  6. "Nigel Rolfe | ZKM". zkm.de.
  7. "NIGEL ROLFE" (PDF).
  8. "Aosdána". aosdana.artscouncil.ie.
  9. "Work Of The Week | 6 September 2021 - Crawford Art Gallery". Crawford Art Gallery. 7 September 2021.
  10. Johnson, Dominic (7 December 2018). Unlimited action: The performance of extremity in the 1970s. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781526135520 – via Google Books.
  11. "Nigel Rolfe". IMMA.
  12. Lonergan, Patrick (21 February 2019). Irish Drama and Theatre Since 1950. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781474262675 – via Google Books.
  13. Desson Howe (27 April 1984). "No Pain, No Fame". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  14. O'Byrne, Ellie (9 November 2015). "Performance artist Nigel Rolfe is muddying the waters between art and movement". Irish Examiner.
  15. Arts, National Endowment for the. "Annual Report". Division of Publications, National Endowment for the Arts – via Google Books.
  16. Peddie, Ian (22 April 2016). Popular Music and Human Rights: 2 volume set. Routledge. ISBN 9781317078197 – via Google Books.
  17. Moore, Christy (16 February 2012). One Voice. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781444717198 – via Google Books.
  18. "Irish times: Edna O'Brien's literary spat with Fintan O'Toole". Salut!.
  19. "Nigel Rolfe". GREEN ON RED GALLERY.
  20. Rolfe, Nigel; Paris, Musée d'art moderne de la ville de (14 February 1996). Nigel Rolfe: Videos 1983–1996. Paris-Musées. ISBN 9782879002903 – via Google Books.
  21. "An Interview with Nigel Rolfe". Royal College of Art.
  22. "Nigel rolfe | Troubles Archive".
  23. McDonald, Frank. "The Irish take over the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale". The Irish Times.
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