Andrei Roiter. Made in Roiterdam

Opening Friday 21 April, 5-7 pm

The title of Andrei Roiter’s exhibition, Made in Roiterdam , proposes a neologism that refers both to the artist’s long residence in the Netherlands and his idiosyncratic, personal position in this world. The emphasis on origination unites the varied elements that make up Roiter’s new installation with an enigmatic, playful quality that is always distinctively present in his work.

Fluent, lush brushstrokes build monumental stacks and piles that evoke an imagery of geological mounds and giant book tow- ers alike. The painted images of sculptural shapes – reflecting Roiter’s particular views on contemporary architecture, landscape, and volume – are familiar motifs in his oeuvre. Contrary to previous exhibitions at AKINCI, perhaps, the works for Made in Roiterdam gravitate towards brighter colours, simple yet bold abstract forms, and radiate a warming, positive energy.

Born in Moscow, now living and working both in Amsterdam and New York, the idea of being on the move has a steady presence in Andrei Roiter’s life. He is constantly mapping the world, as an observer, creating a new order for his memories with a number of media including sculpture, drawing, photography, instal- lation, and painting. The works for Made in Roiterdam are based on smaller drawings and recent photo- collages that Andrei Roiter has been collecting in his studio in Amsterdam.

Andrei Roiter (1960, Moscow) studied at the Institute of Architecture in Moscow (1978-1980). During this time his works were part of the AptArt movement, which organised clandistine exhibitions in the apart- ments of artists and artlovers. Since the mid-80’s Roiter took part in several international exhibitions of Russian art in Europe and the United States. Then, in the early 1990’s, Roiter relocated to the West, exhibit- ing in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan. As of today, his work has been exhibited in numerous in- stitutes in the Netherlands and abroad, including SCHUNCK*, Heerlen (2012), Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2013), MMOMA Moscow (2013), Hermitage Amsterdam (2013), Galería Manuel Ojeda, Las Palmas (2015), De Hallen Haarlem (2016), Centre Pompidou, Paris (2016), Jack Hanley Gallery, New York (2016), and many times at AKINCI, Amsterdam.

Andrei Roiter reflects on his homeland from the point of view of the ‘wanderer’ or the ‘artist-tourist,’ as Viktor Misiano describes the key attitude in his work. There is no fixed source for his motifs but a compila- tion of material. He is mapping the world as an observer, constantly creating a new order for his memories or ‘excavating’ them as an archaeologist. His layered method frequently starts with building three-dimen- sional objects that he calls ‘props’, made of found materials. Often Roiter paints ́still lifes ́ of his odd props.
In this translation of poor material into poetic and meaningful form, he feels himself close to movements as arte povera.