Southern California native, Rob Grad’s heavily layered visuals contrast photographic vignettes of natural and urban environments with drawing, painting, and his words using a wide array of materials. Each of his works is a story written between the artist, subject, and viewer. His art creates windows through which we see, feel, and wonder. Most importantly, he reassures us that hiding behind the contradictions and chaos, there is a world full of beauty and hope. He has shown in museums, galleries, and art fairs from Basel to Miami and Los Angeles. His work is also held in private collections. He gave a TEDx Talk in Culver City, CA, and participated in a video project for TikTok China.

I was asked to do a TEDx talk in Culver City, CA about my journey from the life of a musician to becoming a visual artist. It’s called “Finally Using My Own Eyes” and highlights following my intuition even when the path was counterintuitive to the direction my life was going at the time. Spawned by a trip to Paris that changed everything, and a lyric that came to me while walking alone on the Seine River. — Rob Grad

BIOGRAPHY

Southern California native, Rob Grad, is known for his introspective, yet bold 3D collages, sculptures, writing and music. His heavily layered visuals contrast photographic vignettes of natural and urban environments, with drawing, painting and his words–an aesthetic largely shaped from his two decades living in Venice Beach, CA.

Rob Grad’s work addresses issues of introspection, desire and fulfillment in a fast paced society, infiltrated by technology, social media and politics. There was a lot of conflict in his home during childhood, and he wrestled with addiction in his teenage years. He was forced to ask a lot of existential questions at a young age—themes that still run through his practice today. His new work is increasingly influenced by his early career as a musician, when he was signed to RCA records not long after graduating high school.

He has shown in museums, galleries and art fairs from Basel to Miami, and Los Angeles. Recent exhibitions include the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, CA, and the Torrance Art Museum in Torrance, CA. He has commissioned work in the San Francisco airport, Hudson Pacific Properties, El Rancho Properties, the Zildjian corporate offices in Boston and Los Angeles, LA’s Griffin Athletic Club, and his work is held in private collections.

Rob gave a TEDx Talk in Culver City, CA about authenticity in art and following the internal muse and participated in a video project for TikTok China. He also writes a blog about his art practice called The Creativesphere, and speaks to students in schools about the importance of learning to think creatively not only in making art, but how it relates to solving problems in today’s culture and society.

CV

Solo Exhibitions
2020 Music to My Eyes (2 person show) – Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2019 Finding Foreverland – Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, CA
2019 Overthrow the Quo – Fabrik Projects, Culver City, CA
2018 I Got This – Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Trust – Frame Gallery, Agoura, CA
2011 Door No. 1 – The Alexandria, Los Angeles, CA
2010 NOW – Blue 5 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010 NOW – Sydney and Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, FL

Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 Surrealism Now – Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
2022 Kipaipai – Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA
2020 #CountMeIn – Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, CA
2019 Heavy Metal – Castelli Art Space, Culver City, CA
2018 All of Us – REN Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 California Rising – Fabrik Projects Gallery, Culver City, CA
2017 Street Chic – REN Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 LACP Member Exhibition – dnj Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2017 Ping Pong – Basel, Switzerland
2017 Abstracts – Beyond the Lines Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2017 Ping Pong – LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2016 National Photography Competition – foto foto gallery, Huntington, NY
2016 Contenance Devine – Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Open Desert – Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA
2015 Where the Magic Happens – Gallery H, Hawthorne, CA
2015 Strength in Numbers – REN Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Back to the Roots: A Tribute to Richard Duardo – Autry Historic Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Variable Voices – Lamperouge, Los Angeles, CA
2015 5×10: Contemporary – ArtXchange, Long Beach, CA
2014 Out There: I Do – Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Conversations and Dialogues – Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Trust (Selected works) – Antenna Studios, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Trust (Selected works) – Ziese Architecture Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Good Vibes for Good Deeds – KESSPRO Studios, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Visual Dialogues – Sulkin/Secant Gallery Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA
2013 Gleaming Apollo – Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2103 Words on the Printed Page – Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2103 Unseen – Wuho Gallery, Hollywood, CA
2011 The Doors of Opportunity – The Broadway Palm Gallery, Fort Myers, FL
2011 Feed The Soul – Sarasota Art Center, Sarasota, FL
2011 Open LA – Urban Sanctuary, Los Angeles, CA
2010 The Doors of Opportunity – Sydney and Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, FL

Collaborative Projects
2022 CODE - Audio piece with Karchi Perlmann - MOAH:Cedar Museum, Lancaster, CA
2019 Crazy to Give Up Now – TikTok, China (TikTok commissioned video with movie director, Ann Lu)
2015 VS – Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Allez/Of Two – Paris, France (performance in collaboration with OIDEM and the city of Paris)

Commissions
2022 Hudson Pacific Properties, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Hudson Pacific Properties, Los Angeles, CA
2019 El Rancho Verde Properties, San Jose, CA
2014 Urban Tortilla, San Francisco International Airport
2013 Vic Firth Company, Boston, MA
Global Icons, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Sakae Drums, Osaka, JAPAN

Interviews, Lectures
2019 LA Weekly with Shana Nys Dambrot
2019 Unsettled Life, interview
2015 El Camino College, lecture – Master Class Advanced Photography
2013 TEDx Culver City, lecture – youtu.be/T7GIxYsamCE
2013 AOL Music interview – noisecreep.com/kik-tracee-rob-grad
2013 El Camino College, lecture – Non-traditional photography techniques
2012 Marty ‘O’ show at yfnRadio.com, interview
2012 Cool Change Radio interview
2011 FOX News, Fort Myers, FL interview
2011 Cypress Lake High School, lecture – Using technology as a tool of communication
2010 9th Wave Women’s group lecture – Changing career and lifestyle
2010 Gulf Coasting News, Tampa, FL interview
2009 CBS TV, Daily Buzz, Dallas, TX interview – youtu.be/2YilGpMBqok
2009 CBS TV, WINK News Ft. Myers, FL interview – youtu.be/D1UP0Cz2Ro8
2009 Gulf Coast Times, Ft. Myers, FL interview

Work Experience
2003-2018 Ideas Agency – Owner
1995-2003 Superfine – Singer, songwriter
1998-2001 Open Systems Design – Programmer
1997-1998 Cellfish Designs – Owner
1994-1996 Wilshire Book Company – Editor, clerk
1989 RCA Records – Signed with Kik Tracee band

Related Activities
Selected Music Credits: 1996 Buffy The Vampire Slayer (WB), 1998 Buffy the Vampire Slayer soundtrack (TVT Records), 2007 Emeril (FOOD), 2007 LA Ink (TLC), 2008 One Tree Hill (WB), 2008 The Ghost Whisperer (CBS), 2007 Intervention (HBO), America’s Most Wanted (FOX), 2005 Starting Over (NBC), 2006 Meet The Barkers (MTV), 2010 Dancing With the Stars (ABC), 2004 Urban Explorers (Discovery Channel), 1989-1993 Kik Tracee (RCA Records), 1996-2003 Superfine (Fish of Death Records / TVT Records), 2002 The Nervous Return (LaSalle Records)

2002-2009 Commercial music work for clients including: Chevy, Mercedes Benz, Microsoft, Mattel, Fox Sports, Six Flags, Progressive Insurance, Pontiac, Drum Workshop, Coors Light

Affiliations
Los Angeles Artists Association
Arroyo Arts Collective
Los Angeles Center for Photographic Arts