firstsite contemporary art colchester

Nicolás Robbio

12 March – 23 April 2005
Nicolás Robbio
Only Icebergs Travel Adrift

firstsite was delighted to present the first exhibition outside Brazil by this talented emerging artist, Argentine born Nicolás Robbio. Only Icebergs Travel Adrift united a collection of recent drawings and sculptures, presented with a new site-specific work commissioned by firstsite.

In 2002 the artist witnessed seven icebergs drift within view of the seaside resort of Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Travelling unusually far north from Antarctica, these created national and international news headline. Since then, the iceberg has become a recurrent symbol within Robbio's drawings and a potent metaphor for how he views the world through his work.

Robbio offers us 'the tip of the iceberg' through his seemingly simple, yet rigorous and powerful images. Taking ordinary everyday objects as his starting point, the artist transforms them into metaphors with greater significance - saying so much, with so little.

He is exceptionally resourceful and moves effortlessly between different media. He transforms close observations into drawings, sculptures and installations, using whatever materials and spaces are available. Although his way of working changes according to possibility, his way of looking at the world is consistent.

Living in São Paulo, the drawings track his daily bus journeys across the city, from his home in the city centre to his workplace in the southern outskirts: armed policeman, security guard's booth, industrial architecture clashing with tropical foliage. These dramatic symbols are integrated with tamer images reflecting more mundane aspects of urban life. Robbio's notepads are sequences of drawings, composed of simple lines, using transparencies and schematic cuts into objects.

Transparent papers, interrupted space, consecutive pages, empty boxes – Nicolás Robbio offers us a rare view on the world; like an iceberg, we know that it is immense, yet we only ever experience a tiny part.

Born in Mar Del Palta, Argentina, in 1975, Nicolás Robbio obtained Fine Arts degree at Martín A. Malharro School of Arts of Mar Del Plata. In 2001 he moved to São Paulo, Brazil and is represented by Galeria Vermelho, recent exhibitions include: Imagética, curated by Ricardo Oliveros, Eduardo Brandão and Ricardo Ribenboim in Curitiba and Nova Geometria, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, at Galeria Fortes Vilaça, Sao Paolo.

Only Icebergs Travel Adrift was part of a strand of contemporary Latin American Art programming and was accompanied by an exhibition of selected work from UECLAA (University of Essex's Collection of Latin American Art).

	Nicolás Robbio 12 March – 23 April 2005 Nicolás Robbio Only Icebergs Travel Adrift firstsite was delighted to present the first exhibition outside Brazil by this talented emerging artist, Argentine born Nicolás Robbio. Only Icebergs Travel Adrift united a collection of recent drawings and sculptures, presented with a new site-specific work commissioned by firstsite. In 2002 the artist witnessed seven icebergs drift within view of the seaside resort of Mar del Plata, Argentina. Travelling unusually far north from Antarctica, these created national and international news headline. Since then, the iceberg has become a recurrent symbol within Robbio's drawings and a potent metaphor for how he views the world through his work. Robbio offers us 'the tip of the iceberg' through his seemingly simple, yet rigorous and powerful images. Taking ordinary everyday objects as his starting point, the artist transforms them into metaphors with greater significance - saying so much, with so little. He is exceptionally resourceful and moves effortlessly between different media. He transforms close observations into drawings, sculptures and installations, using whatever materials and spaces are available. Although his way of working changes according to possibility, his way of looking at the world is consistent. Living in São Paulo, the drawings track his daily bus journeys across the city, from his home in the city centre to his workplace in the southern outskirts: armed policeman, security guard's booth, industrial architecture clashing with tropical foliage. These dramatic symbols are integrated with tamer images reflecting more mundane aspects of urban life. Robbio's notepads are sequences of drawings, composed of simple lines, using transparencies and schematic cuts into objects. Transparent papers, interrupted space, consecutive pages, empty boxes – Nicolás Robbio offers us a rare view on the world; like an iceberg, we know that it is immense, yet we only ever experience a tiny part. Born in Mar Del Palta, Argentina, in 1975, Nicolás Robbio obtained Fine Arts degree at Martín A. Malharro School of Arts of Mar Del Plata. In 2001 he moved to São Paulo, Brazil and is represented by Galeria Vermelho, recent exhibitions include: Imagética, curated by Ricardo Oliveros, Eduardo Brandão and Ricardo Ribenboim in Curitiba and Nova Geometria, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, at Galeria Fortes Vilaça, Sao Paolo. Only Icebergs Travel Adrift was part of a strand of contemporary Latin American Art programming and was accompanied by an exhibition of selected work from UECLAA (University of Essex's Collection of Latin American Art).