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Alan Rath
19 June - 31 July 2021
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Alan Rath

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Overview
Alan Rath

In formally elegant yet winsome sculptures — almost every component of which he designed, machined, and programed himself — Alan Rath explored the relationship between technology and the human body and behavior. In this exhibition, Hosfelt Gallery surveys the 35-year oeuvre of the sculptor and electronic art pioneer, who died in October of 2020 at age 60. Spanning the entirety of the artist’s career and incorporating every type of work he made, this encyclopedic show navigates the breadth of an extraordinary practice.

 

Beginning in 1985, Rath made work with technical materials like aluminum, steel, wires, and circuitry, in combination with cathode ray tubes displaying computer-generated video animations of body parts — roving eyes, waving hands, or lips with protruding and wagging tongues. Some pieces incorporated found elements like metal cages, wooden crates, or a photographer’s tripod. In all of these early works, their inner workings are, somewhat indecently, exposed.

 

By 1988, he began making sculptures with audio speakers, fascinated more by their motion than their ability to transmit sound; their movement uncannily simulates breathing as they puff, pant, vibrate, wheeze and throb. His passion for numbers led to pieces that endlessly count, or recite π, or function as calendars or clocks. He programmed his robotic works with open-ended algorithms, so the sculptures constantly modify their own choreography. A piece from 1998 successfully anticipated driverless car technology by 20 years.

 

Though Rath’s works are revolutionary in their masterful blend of high tech with high art, the technology is always subservient to the form or concept of the sculpture itself. The works possess a charming humility, without a hint of bravado advertising Rath’s unquestionable technical proficiency. Every material and design decision is considered and impeccable. Nothing is there just for looks, yet nothing, no matter how functional, isn’t beautiful.

 

“Machinery is not unnatural,” Rath said in an interview. “It’s a reflection of the people who make it.”

 

Alan Rath was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1959 and earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982. While at MIT he took courses within the Architecture Machine Group – the precursor to the Media Lab – and studied with Otto Piene (a co-founder of the Zero art group) at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies. His early influences include Alexander Calder, David Smith, Robert Moog, Jimi Hendrix, and NASA. In 1983, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, which was his home until he died.

 

Rath’s work has been exhibited extensively internationally, including a 2019 retrospective exhibition, Virtual Unreality, organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose. Published in conjunction with the show is a catalog raisonné with an accompanying augmented reality application that enables the viewer to animate the robotic sculptures pictured in the book. In 1991 Rath’s work was included in the Whitney Biennial. The same year, he was the subject of a solo exhibition organized by the Walker Art Center, which traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; the Center for Fine Art, Miami; and The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu. Other solo museum exhibitions include Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; Aspen Art Museum; SITE Santa Fe; and Austin Museum of Art. In 1994 Rath received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship grant. His works are in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and many others.

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Works
  • Subwoofer on tripod with long coiled cord connected to two silver boxes.
    Alan Rath
    Bumper II, 1990
    tripod, aluminum, custom electronics, speaker
    42 x 42 x 42 in
    106.7 x 106.7 x 106.7 cm
  • Wooden box filled with tech components ands green circuit board with screen depicting number counter.
    Alan Rath
    215 Years in a Box, 1994
    wooden box, custom electronics, LEDs
    8 x 11 x 9 in
    20.3 x 27.9 x 22.9 cm
  • Three monitors depicting hands connected by metal boxes and coiled wires.
    Alan Rath
    5 O'Clock, 2002
    aluminum, custom electronics, LCDs
    60 x 72 x 9 1/2 in
    152.4 x 182.9 x 24.1 cm
  • Two small subwoofers connected to yellow wires and metal box.
    Alan Rath
    Bug-Eyed Breather, 1991
    aluminum, custom electronics, speakers
    9 x 10 x 12 in
    22.9 x 25.4 x 30.5 cm
  • Thee red Chinese altar boxes with speakers on sides and stereo incenter, connected by coiled black wire.
    Alan Rath
    Chinese Stereo, 1994
    painted wood, AM/FM/CD, custom electronics, speakers
    83 x 102 x 14 in
    210.8 x 259.1 x 35.6 cm
  • Small red cylinder with three red wires and three round monitors displaying blinking eyes in different colors.
    Alan Rath
    Eyeris IX, 2017
    birch plywood, acrylic, polyethylene, aluminum, custom electronics, LCDs
    87 x 60 x 10 in
    221 x 152.4 x 25.4 cm
  • Oval shape lined with large pheasant feathers that wiggle from center.
    Alan Rath
    Forever, 2012
    fiberglass, PVC, Delrin, aluminum, motors, custom electronics, pheasant feathers
    84 x 108 x 48 in
    213.4 x 274.3 x 121.9 cm
  • Moving image of wooden frame with white mat and black rectangle depicting pink running woman.
    Alan Rath
    Framed Running Man, 2004
    Garolite XX, PVC, G-10, wood, paper, software, electronics, LCD
    25 x 21 x 3 in
    63.5 x 53.3 x 7.6 cm
  • Large red screen with the number 3 depicted.
    Alan Rath
    Huge Pi 808, 1996
    aluminum, acrylic, custom electronics, LEDs
    72 x 48 x 3 in
    182.9 x 121.9 x 7.6 cm
  • Six subwoofers in various sizes lining ling black panel with six blue protruding battering depicting guitar.
    Alan Rath
    Jimi, 1996
    aluminum, custom electronics, six speakers
    65 x 30 x 7 in
    165.1 x 76.2 x 17.8 cm
  • Small red screen with number 8 depicted.
    Alan Rath
    Little Pi 200, 1996
    aluminum, acrylic, custom electronics, LEDs
    14 x 12 x 2 in
    35.6 x 30.5 x 5.1 cm
  • Two small screens with depicting blinking eyes connected to clear tubes and silver box in middle.
    Alan Rath
    Looker, 1990
    aluminum, acrylic, custom electronics, CRTs
    11 x 15 x 25 in
    27.9 x 38.1 x 63.5 cm
  • Small pink stand with square monitor depicting magenta eye under glass cloche.
    Alan Rath
    Looking Glass II, 2007
    nylon, polypropylene, glass, aluminum, G10, custom electronics, LCD
    19 x 11 x 11 in
    48.3 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm
  • Rounded rectangle monitor displaying yellow hand with curved metal tube curing upward to two metal cage like boxed opened like a book.
    Alan Rath
    Microwave, 1989
    aluminum, steel, custom electronics, CRT
    21 x 13 x 29 in
    53.3 x 33 x 73.7 cm
  • Red screen displaying number counting with silver border and black coiled cord.
    Alan Rath
    Mini Million A Day, 2007
    aluminum, acrylic, custom electronics, LEDs
    10 x 26 x 2 in
    25.4 x 66 x 5.1 cm
  • Moving image displaying monitor with mouth opening and closing and sticking tongue out. Monitor is connected to vertical silver box and another box behind it with three blue cylindrical batteries on top.
    Alan Rath
    Moist, 1994
    aluminum, custom electronics, CRT
    15 x 9 x 28 in
    38.1 x 22.9 x 71.1 cm
  • Black frame and white mat with small rectangular light grey frame displaying three running men in black silhouettes.
    Alan Rath
    Multi Running Man IV, 2007
    wood, paper, PVC, polypropylene, GI0, custom electronics, acrylic, LCD
    27 x 21 x 3 in
    68.6 x 53.3 x 7.6 cm
  • Short clear cylinder with angeked rectangular monitor with rounded edges displaying yellow eye. monitor is connected to circuit board and metal box in cylinder. Cylinder sits atop three silver legs.
    Alan Rath
    Optical Cylinder III, 2007
    acrylic, aluminum, stainless steel, G10, Delrin, custom electronics, CRT
    30 x 16 x 16 in
    76.2 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm
  • Two suitcases in two different sizes on their sides with two speakers installed on their fronts. They're connected by a coiled black cord. The larger suitcase has a stereo installed as well.
    Alan Rath
    Portable Stereo, 1993
    suitcases, AM/FM/CD, custom electronics, speakers
    25 x 50 x 15 in
    63.5 x 127 x 38.1 cm
  • Tall silver pole with five large neon pink feathers on either side that move in all sorts of patterns. There are red and black cords wrapped around pole leading to two black poles at the base spread out for support.
    Alan Rath
    Positively, 2012
    aluminum, fiberglass, custom electronics, motors, ostrich feathers
    84 x 72 x 60 in
    213.4 x 182.9 x 152.4 cm
  • To white circular bases against the wall with pheasant feathers that rotate in circular patterns parallel to the wall. The two circles are connected by a white coiled wire.
    Alan Rath
    Roto II, 2013
    aluminum, fiberglass, custom electronics, motors, pheasant feathers
    56 x 104 x 6 in
    142.2 x 264.2 x 15.2 cm
  • Clear cylinder with rectangular monitor displaying skeleton walking towards viewer. The cylinder sits on antique wooden carved base.
    Alan Rath
    Running Man On Chinese Stand II, 2015
    wood, acrylic, Delrin, Garolite, aluminum, polypropylene, custom electronics, LCD
    23 x 15 x 15 in
    58.4 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm
  • Two rectangular monitors displaying green/yellow eyes with wandering eyes. The monitors are in black rubber circles and are connected to silver metal bar that is mounted to wall by two rounded rubber wires.
    Alan Rath
    Scopophiliac, 2001
    aluminum, PVC, rubber, custom electronics, LCDs
    48 x 57 x 27 in
    121.9 x 144.8 x 68.6 cm
  • Wooden cage with small perched speaker on top of wires, circuit boards, and batteries. They're sitting on top pf a map of Oakland, CA.
    Alan Rath
    Tiny Cage, 1993
    wood cage, maps, aluminum, custom electronics, speaker
    8 x 11 x 6 in
    20.3 x 27.9 x 15.2 cm
  • Metal bracket mounted to wall with carabiner clip holding monitor displaying moving mouth that hangs connected to two silver boxes and one black one. They're all connected by black and grey cords and carabiners.
    Alan Rath
    Tongue-Tied, 1992
    aluminum, steel, electronics, CRT
    64 x 17 x 17 in
    162.6 x 43.2 x 43.2 cm
  • Nine grey and black speakers connected by large black coiled wires mounted on wall in spread out pattern. All cords lead back to silver rectangular box also mounted to wall with single black cable to power source.
    Alan Rath
    Wallflower II, 1990
    aluminum, custom electronics, speakers
    60 x 86 x 12 in
    152.4 x 218.4 x 30.5 cm
  • small monitor depicting eye positioned towards ceiling connected to tall clear cylinder which shows cords connected to two silver boxes separated by black metal cooler piece. Yje smaller of the two boxes has three blue batteries on top.
    Alan Rath
    Watcher of the Skies VI, 1991
    aluminum, acrylic, custom electronics, CRT
    26 1/2 x 20 x 6 in
    67.3 x 50.8 x 15.2 cm
  • Moving images depicting two black robotic pieces that resemble arms that extend and swirl around each other in circular patterns.
    Alan Rath
    Yet Again, 2017
    Birch plywood, FR4, aluminum, steel, UHMW, motors, custom electronics
    96 x 192 x 20 in
    243.8 x 487.7 x 50.8 cm
Installation Views
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Press
  • Alan Rath, "Positively," 2021, aluminum, fiberglass, custom electronics, motors, ostrich feathers, 84 × 72 × 60". Alan Rath, Positively, 2021, aluminum, fiberglass, custom electronics, motors, ostrich feathers, 84 × 72 × 60"

    Alan Rath

    Maria Porges, Artforum, October 1, 2021
Events
  • two Alan Rath sculptures one is tiny subwoofer connected to battery in wooden cage and the other is composed of three screens with blinking and moving eyes connected to base on the floor.

    Exhibition walkthrough with SFMoMA curator Tanya Zimbardo

    15 Jul 2021
    Please join SFMoMA Curator Tanya Zimbardo, for an exhibition tour of Alan Rath Thursday July 15, from 5-7 pm Assistant curator of media arts at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Zimbardo has curated solo exhibitions of work by Jim Campbell, Runa Islam, Pat O'Neill, and Kerry Tribe. Her current exhibition at SFMoMA, Future Histories: Theaster Gates and Cauleen Smith, is on view through July 18, 2021.
    Read more
News
  • HG Magazine Issue no. 32

    HG Magazine Issue no. 32

    Judith Belzer joins the gallery; plus Rina Banerjee, Alan Rath, pi(e) Read more
  • HG Magazine Issue no. 31

    HG Magazine Issue no. 31

    Alan Rath exhibition opens; plus Rina Banerjee, Cornelius Völker, Nicole Phungrasamee Fein Read more

Related artist

  • a gif file showing Rath's sculpture Positively opening and closing its arms and Rath's Looking Glass II blinking

    Alan Rath

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