Remi Rough (b. 1971) makes complexly composed abstract paintings that create a strong sense of visual pleasure for the viewer. His formative years and experiences as a style writer, (or as most people would know it, a graffiti artist), inform his precise, constructed artworks.
Since the early 2000s he has focused on creating works on surfaces ranging from paper and wood to brick and concrete. His clever use of highly sensory colour evokes an array of different feelings for the viewer and can at times be perceived as musical due to the vibrational energy the work emits.
Rough’s transition from painting wildstyle graffiti letters to his now distinctive abstract language is highly documented in various publications including XL Mural Art by Claudia Walde and Abstract Graffiti by Cedar Lewisohn. He is a key proponent in the graffuturism and post graffiti movements.
Rough has been exhibiting his works and painting murals in major cities all over the world for over thirty-five years.
In 2021 he was invited by the former professor of perspective; Humphrey Ocean RA to exhibit in the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition.
Rough co-curated and exhibited in 'Next Wave’ at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana in 2022.
Other Museum shows include The Museo De Bellas Artes in Santander in 2009, The Musée Mohammed VI in Rabat 2016, the Art Science Museum in Singapore in 2018, Straat Museum in Amsterdam in 2022, MOCA London in 2017 and Tate Modern as part of the 'Street Art' exhibition programming in 2009.
In 2018 he was invited as part of the Art Basel Hong Kong off site programme to design and install a permanent 100-metre-long pedestrian tunnel in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay MTR station.
From his teenage involvement with the only art movement in history created by and taken forward by children, to a global appreciation of his work, he continues to grow his practice.
Rough was born in South London, where he still lives and works.
