Miami, FL – June 20, 2015 – MOCA unveiled their latest installation, Ars Memoria: A Selection from MOCA’s permanent collection. One Hundred works from the permanent collection are presented as modes of recollection and determination. These have been sites of appropriation, contestation, adoption and rejection that inscribe memory in their structures. The works of Gregory Robin’s Primordial Vibrations series explores the relationship between sound, rhythm, and image making. Robin paints sound waves, through which he aims at refuting nature’s determinism by opposing it with an improvisation that articulates a freedom of creation through amplification of the wave. “The music affects the tempo and brush stroke of the painting,” says Robin. In a quest for the infinite, the sound wave is composed as he records the sounds of his peregrinations in the virgin forests of Asia and South America. The sound wave is amplified to translate thought and visualization. The selected patterns of Robin’s work differs from traditional representations of sound waves. Robin’s creations allow for the opportunity to feel the movement and energy of the wave.

World Red Eye was able to snag a moment with the Robin, where he gave us some insight into the works he is presenting at MOCA, along with where he gathers his inspiration from.

Gregory Robin

Painting for me is a form of meditation; it can be fun, intense, challenging and very therapeutic.

Gregory Robin

WRE: Tell us about your latest works within the Ars Memoria installation at MOCA?

GR: Showing in the Ars Memoria exhibition is a really big honor for me. My latest works currently at MOCA are from the Primordial Vibrations series. They depict coded messages that are arranged like a song. The paintings are abstract interpretations of ancient and modern knowledge that I create in a meditation state of mind.

WRE: Can you expand a bit more on the relationship between sound, rhythm, and image making?

GR: The paintings describe visual sound of messages using movement, balance, language that creates a rhythm. They move and transition in color with ore like reflection representing the beat. While creating the image, I listen to spontaneous sounds like Miles Davis’s trumpet, Fela Kuti or some techno. The music affects the tempo and brush stroke of the painting.

WRE: How did the pieces evolve after you created the first one or did you work on them simultaneously? 

GR: The series evolved over eight months or so. I first got the idea to format my works in a song like arrangement while living in Berlin. Through experimenting using music production software, I would see sound waves. Then I started working on small paintings and sketches. This grew over time increasing in detail, structure and scale.

WRE: What is your creative process like? 

GR: The most important factor in my creative process is “freedom.” Painting for me is a form of meditation; it can be fun, intense, challenging and very therapeutic.

WRE: Where do you draw inspiration from?

GR: I draw inspiration from many sources such as Tikal, Teotihuacan, Bagan, calligraphy, cuneiform, mysterious languages, modern skylines, cave art, patina, jazz, philosophy of the Buddha, ancient Egypt, Arabic and Hebrew writings to name some.

WRE: How have people understood your emotional expression through your paintings?

GR: The reaction has been of the people has been my biggest reward. They are intrigued and many people have expressed a positive and uplifting energy while viewing the work. I believe a wide spectrum of people young and old have understood the expression of the work.

WRE: What is a typical day like in the studio for you?

GR: A typical day in the studio is fun, challenging, experimental and focused.

WRE: When are you at your most creative? 

GR: I am most creative when I get the feeling in a spontaneous way.

WRE: What can we expect from you in the future in regards to your work?

GR: I expect to continue on this path, elevating and creating a sculpture series and a video element to the work. I will be showing art in collaboration with a live performance by a great band called Bakery and fellow artists in Berlin in the next few months.

Carol Anne McFarlane

Criselda Breene

Jonathan & Criselda Breene

Jonathan Breene, Sam Robin, Gregory Robin, Jennifer Massolo, & Criselda Breene

Francesco Caracciolo di Marano, Sam Robin, & Gregory Robin

Sam Robin, Gregory Robin, & Mary Ann Portell

Tara Solomon & Nick D’Annunzio

Silvana Darlington & Geo Darder

Joe Chirichigno & Zasha Morejon

Stephane Kenn de Balinthazy, Fredo Rivera, & Jayme Gershen

Zasha Morejon

Mary Ann Portell

Francesco Caracciolo di Marano, Gregory Robin, & Fredreic Marq

Nick Swerdlow, Gregory Robin, & Nigel Norton

Glenna & Nigel Norton

Kristen Goodrich & Jose Bedia Jr.

Ed Agudelo, Edan Archer, & Milcho

Mia Dudek, Karolina Lebek, & Ania Mokrzycka

Andrew Horton, Eddie Arroyo, & Onajide Shabaka

Andres & Lacy Berroa, Gregory Robin, Francesco Caracciolo di Marano, Sam Robin, & Alex Gomez

Mary Ann Portell, John, Anne, & Jan Kruthoffer, Nina Duval, & Edouard Duval Carrie

Edouard Duval Carrie & Mary Ann Portell

Patty, Carrie Moore, & Mary Ann Portell

Andre Pastoria & Shelia Elias

Nina Duval & Mireille Chancy Gonzalez