Radical Landscape/Primitive Magic



In a culture of rampant visuality and growing disconnection from the natural environment, we face a critical loss of engaged and embodied experiences. The touchstone of the 'real' and the enigmatic pleasures of a diverse understanding of our environment is at risk of being eradicated from our lives. Notions of position, territorialism, and mastery are dramatically failing in the face of larger cultural, ecological, and global systems. My creative inquiry investigates how humans interact with, and perceive their surroundings.  This involves tapping into emotions and experiences often overlooked in scientific and media culture. My focus is on painting in the expanded field, specifically exploring what I refer to as Radical Landscapes. This concept examines how identity, visual perception, and human interaction with the environment can bring about social change and agency as we navigate alternative models for being in the world. By investigating the relationship between land, history, and human intervention, my work delves into themes such as camouflage, identity, and unspoken knowledge to explore the boundaries between public and private spaces, revealing how they relate to our sense of self and belonging. 

Bio


Robert Platt is a transmedia artist who has a diverse background in the arts. He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Art from Nottingham Trent University and a Master of Arts in Painting from The Royal College Of Art in London, UK. In 2009, he completed a Practice-Based Ph.D. in Contemporary Art Practice (Painting) from Kyoto City University of Arts in Kyoto, Japan. In 2011, he moved to Michigan, where he held the positions of Associate Professor of Art and Associate Director for The University of Michigan Center For Japanese Studies.



Platt's art practice has been featured in Art in America and Frieze magazine. He has participated in residencies and research trips to India, Japan, Europe, and has taken part in two Arctic expeditions. His artwork has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, with recent solo exhibitions in Japan, Ireland, South Korea, and New York. Some of the highlights of his group exhibitions include "A Rose is a Rose" at The Butcher’s Daughter in NYC, and "Displacements" at Renmin University in Beijing, China. His works are included in the public collections of Toyota, and Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo.



Currently, he resides in Fukuoka, Japan, where he holds the position of Professor at the School of Art & Design at Kyushu Sangyo University. Additionally, he serves as an Associate Professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at The University of Michigan and as the Associate Director of The Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Michigan.



You can contact him via email at ROBERTDPLATT1@GMAIL.COM and also follow him on Instagram at ROBERT.PLATT.756.

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