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Rone
Known for his multi-storey murals gracing buildings all over the world, Melbourne-based artist Rone uses his work to explore the friction and connection between beauty and decay, youth and ruin.
Rone was a seminal figure in the explosive Melbourne street art scene of the early 2000s. With his beginnings in street art, stencil and screen printing, Rone is now best known for his haunting images of women's faces, rendered in arresting detail on silos and storefronts, museums and apartment blocks. His immersive installations have continued his investigation into divergent themes of beauty and ruin, materiality and loss, through the transformation of condemned, derelict or forgotten spaces - with each artwork painstakingly produced, only to be destroyed.
Rone presents a survey of the artist's work from the street, the studio, and the ephemeral installations. The works are bookended by essays that trace the evolution of Rone's career over the last two decades, delve into his depictions of women, and go behind the scenes of his most ambitious installation to date: Empire (2019), set in the disused Art Deco mansion Burnham Beeches on the outskirts of Melbourne. Anecdotal notes from the artist unpack the stories behind the portraits, tying them to their communities in London, Paris, New York, Havana, Christchurch, Hong Kong and beyond.
Rone was a seminal figure in the explosive Melbourne street art scene of the early 2000s. With his beginnings in street art, stencil and screen printing, Rone is now best known for his haunting images of women's faces, rendered in arresting detail on silos and storefronts, museums and apartment blocks. His immersive installations have continued his investigation into divergent themes of beauty and ruin, materiality and loss, through the transformation of condemned, derelict or forgotten spaces - with each artwork painstakingly produced, only to be destroyed.
Rone presents a survey of the artist's work from the street, the studio, and the ephemeral installations. The works are bookended by essays that trace the evolution of Rone's career over the last two decades, delve into his depictions of women, and go behind the scenes of his most ambitious installation to date: Empire (2019), set in the disused Art Deco mansion Burnham Beeches on the outskirts of Melbourne. Anecdotal notes from the artist unpack the stories behind the portraits, tying them to their communities in London, Paris, New York, Havana, Christchurch, Hong Kong and beyond.
239 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 3, 2021
There is something infinitely sublime about Rone's works of art. Beautiful, breathless, compelling splendid. His murals encompass the point where beauty and decay intersect in the real world. Everything has its expiry date, but it's the memories and holding onto fleeting nostalgia that makes these installations almost hypnotic and dreamlike in their experience.
Highly Recommended.
Highly Recommended.
July 25, 2020
A beautiful and haunting collection of work. I'm thrilled to own this, and pleasantly surprised to have an autographed edition.
January 26, 2021
A beautifully illustrated survey of this street artists work where he places model faces within abandoned places that decay over time, reflecting on both natural and urban decay. I've never actually seen any of his temporary installations so it's great to see them gain permanence in this lovely coffee table book.
December 3, 2024
An amazing production with a dedicated team that brought Rone’s ideas to life.
My father always said that the ballroom had the best dance floor in Melbourne, so I was very excited to see this. He had won many competitions in ball room dancing.
Thank you for opening up a lost era of Melbourne
Liz
My father always said that the ballroom had the best dance floor in Melbourne, so I was very excited to see this. He had won many competitions in ball room dancing.
Thank you for opening up a lost era of Melbourne
Liz
November 25, 2020
“RONE”
‘Empty’ included canvas portraits and a series of photographs featuring murals in unreachable, decrepit homes and shops. (p141)
To experience ‘Empire’ was to experience beauty in loss. (p187)
Such an inspirational presentation of an original artistic pioneer. This is a “must own”!
***** 5 stars [ISBN 9781760760953]
‘Empty’ included canvas portraits and a series of photographs featuring murals in unreachable, decrepit homes and shops. (p141)
To experience ‘Empire’ was to experience beauty in loss. (p187)
Such an inspirational presentation of an original artistic pioneer. This is a “must own”!
***** 5 stars [ISBN 9781760760953]
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews