RABI (artist) explained

RABI
Birth Name:David Emanuel Mordechai Torres
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California
Known For:Fine art, sculpture, muralism, photography, typography, videography

RABI (born David Emanuel Mordechai Torres in 1984) is a first generation American [1] visual artist of Puerto Rican and Polish descent from Los Angeles, California. [2] He is known for being part of the artist collective, CYRCLE. RABI's works can be seen in public and private collections including that of Shepard Fairey, Ari Emanuel, Sean Combs, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, MOCA Detroit, Bishop Museum in Hawaii, MGM Grand in Las Vegas, The Art of Elysium,the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans, and the Urban Nation Museum Berlin. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Career

RABI's works stem from his early life as a graffiti writer, skateboarder and muralist.[9] [10] [11] Through skateboarding and graffiti, RABI began practicing art in public spaces, as well as capturing his personal world through video and photography.[12] Themes of contradiction, duality, and sociopolitical philosophy become visible throughout RABI's work. In 2009 RABI co-founded the art collective CYRCLE along with David Leavitt and Devin Liston (Liston left in 2012),[13] which gained international notoriety and allowed for him to take his love for public installation to a worldwide audience.[14]

He spent a full decade building CYRCLE while growing his skills in video, design, photography, painting and sculpture. During this time he worked throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.[15] While working with CYRCLE, RABI collaborated with artists, brands and non-profits including, HBO, Uber, Pharrell, TED Prize winner- JR,[16] James Lavelle, Chad Muska, Woodkid, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and Audi, among others.

In 2021 RABI participated in the worldwide public art campaign, #NOTACRIME for educational equality in Iran. RABI's mural was painted over the summer in New York and the piece directly confronts the shattered educational system, "a result of an entire minority being barred just because of their beliefs." The mural is in keeping with his previous work – all of which has focused on society and the human condition. The owner of a nearby building, overlooking the Nelson Mandela Memorial Garden at the corner of Frederick Douglass Boulevard and 126th Street, offered the wall of her building to help the project.[17] That same year, he was commissioned by Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Venice to paint a large-scale mural on the building.[18] [19]

One year later, in 2022 RABI [20] held his first large solo exhibition, after his time in Street art collective, CYRCLE, titled gen+esc (generation+escape).[21] This was also his directorial debut. The show opened on September 15, 2022 in West Hollywood, California, at Nomad Gallery and ran through October 15, 2022. The exhibition was a series of short art films that “explored the relationship between identity and the artistic process.” [22] Each short-film cross-examined [23] “the role of image in personal narratives and reimagines the embodiment of self, depicting a world free of conventional posturing,” said RABI.[24] An interactive experience, guests were invited to utilize AR technology that cast imagery onto green-screen components throughout the space, including the building’s facade and different sculptures while experiencing the show. Exclusive NFTs and prints were available throughout the exhibition for purchase as well.[25] [26]

In August 2023 RABI continued his solo exhibition gen+esc (generation+escape), this time in Berlin.[27] [28] The exhibition opened at the new Urban Nation Museum satellite gallery, in Neukölln, and took place during Berlin Art Week, featuring short art films, installations, print editions, and ceramic sculptures, produced in part by ARTXIV. [29] [30] There he also created his first mixed-reality mural commissioned by Project PM 20 in Prenzlauer Berg. [31]

In January 2024 Rabi participated in a group exhibition titled The Cat Art Show in Los Angeles at the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace and 10% of art sales went to the fund. [32]

In March 2024 Rabi was invited by HK Walls [33] and the Hong Kong Consulate to create a mural in collaboration with the US Consulate General, Hong Kong in Sheung Wan. He was the only artist selected to represent the United States as an artist from each nation was hand picked to participate. [34] There he also exhibited works for Art Basel Hong Kong As well as hosted a screening and Q&A at the Soho House Hong Kong for his current short film works, Gen+esc.[35]

Selected exhibitions and works

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://thentwrk.com/show/11777/rabi-towing-for-known-hitch-01 Rabi Towing For Known Hitch, The NTWRK, the NTWRK.com, Dec 9, 2022
  2. https://rabitowing.com/ Rabi Towing Official Website
  3. https://urban-nation.com/artist/rabi/ Artist, Rabi
  4. https://www.atrbute.com/portfolios/rabi Artbute, Rabi Bio, 2020
  5. https://bellartsfactory.org/2015/04/16/bell-arts-factory-featured-artist-uriel-leon/ Bell Arts Factory, Mention Of Rabi: Muralist, 2015
  6. https://www.firestonebeer.com/artist-rabi-completes-mural-at-venice-/taproom/ Artist RABI Completes Mural at Venice Taproom, Firestonebeer.com, November 9, 2021
  7. https://iranwire.com/en/features/1539#NotACrime Global Street Art: David “Rabi” Torres and Peaceful Revolution, Iran Wire, 2021
  8. https://www.hublot.com/en-us/news/hublot-and-shepard-fairey-come-together-hollywood-launch-new-timepiece Hublot & Shepard Fairey Come Together In Hollywood To Launch A New Timepiece, October 2022, Hubolt.com
  9. https://www.venicepaparazzi.com/2021/11/10/in-the-spotlight-muralist-rabi/ RABI Paints mural for Firestone Brewing Company in Venice, Nov 10, 2021, VenicePaparazzi.com
  10. https://www.expressmagazine.org/post/notacrime-worldwide-street-art-campaign-for-educational-equality-in-iran
    1. NOTACRIME Worldwide Street Art Campaign for Educational Equality In Iran, Express Magazine, 2021
  11. https://iranwire.com/en/features/1539#NotACrime Global Street Art: David “Rabi” Torres and Peaceful Revolution, Iran Wire, 2021
  12. https://www.art-ofdevelopment.com/featured-artists Featured Artists, Art of Development, 2022
  13. https://unrtd.co/media/cyrcle-montreal-parking-garage-present-futurism-space-is-everything UNRTD, CYRCLE, 2018 Mural
  14. https://www.venicepaparazzi.com/2021/11/10/in-the-spotlight-muralist-rabi/ In The Spotlight: Muralist RABI, VenicePaparazzi.com, November 11, 2021
  15. https://unrtd.co/media/cyrcle-montreal-parking-garage-present-futurism-space-is-everything Artist-duo CYRCLE Converts an Underground Parking Structure into a Colorful Universe, UNRTD, Montreal, 2015
  16. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/08/arts/design/maya-angelou-murals-los-angeles.html?searchResultPosition=1 Rabi x JR Collaborate With Branded Arts Among Other Artists For Maya Angelou Festival, NY Times, July 2019
  17. https://iranwire.com/en/features/1539#NotACrime Global Street Art: David “RABI” Torres and Peaceful Revolution, Iran Wire, 2021
  18. https://www.atrbute.com/collections/Rabi-Rabi-Paints-Mural-For-Firestone-Walker-Brewing-Company, RABI Paints Mural For Firestone Walker Brewing Company,Atrbute.com, October 13, 2021
  19. https://www.firestonebeer.com/artist-rabi-completes-mural-at-venice-taproom/ Artist RABI Completes Mural At Venice Taproom, Firestone Beer, 2021
  20. https://rabitowing.com/ RABI Official Website
  21. https://www.laweekly.com/rabi-remixes-reality-at-nomad-gallery/ RABI Remixes Reality At Nomad Gallery, LA Weekly, September 2022
  22. https://wehotimes.com/artist-rabi-cyrcle-solo-exhibition-to-launch-at-nomad-gallery/ Artist Rabi (CYRCLE) Solo Exhibition to Launch at Nomad Gallery in West Hollywood - WEHO TIMES West Hollywood News, September, 2022
  23. https://www.brooklynstreetart.com/2022/08/29/rabi-generation-escape-examining-existence-in-west-hollywood/ Rabi Generation Escape Examining Existence In West Hollywood, BrooklynStreetArt.com, August 29, 2022
  24. https://wehotimes.com/artist-rabi-cyrcle-solo-exhibition-to-launch-at-nomad-gallery/ Artist Rabi (CYRCLE) Solo Exhibition to Launch at Nomad Gallery in West Hollywood - WEHO TIMES West Hollywood News, September, 2022
  25. https://wehotimes.com/artist-rabi-cyrcle-solo-exhibition-to-launch-at-nomad-gallery/ Artist Rabi (CYRCLE) Solo Exhibition to Launch at Nomad Gallery in West Hollywood - WEHO TIMES West Hollywood News, September, 2022
  26. https://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/1086-nomad-gallery-presents-_gen+esc Artfix Daily, Nomad Gallery Presents _gen+esc, August 2022
  27. https://www.atrbute.com/collections/Rabi-Rabi-Towing%27s-gen-esc-at-the-Urban-Nation-Museum-in-Berlin%2C-Opening-September-13th Rabi Towing's gen esc at the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin, Opening September 13th, Artbute.com, 2023
  28. https://urban-nation.com/2023/08/project-m-20/ PROJECT M/20_generati0n+escape_ _thoughts_and_c0ntradicti0ns_//_seas0n_01:02_B, UrbanNation.com, August 2023
  29. https://www.artxiv.com/ artxiv.com
  30. https://www.booooooom.com/2023/09/12/_genesc-by-artist-rabi/ Gen+esc by Artist Rabi,Booooooom.com, September 12,2023
  31. https://urban-nation.com/2023/10/pm-20-one-wall-by-rabi/ PM 20 One Wall by Rabin UrbanNation.com, October 2023
  32. https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2024-01-16/cats-on-display-at-whimsical-la-cat-art-show Cats On Display At Whimsical LA Cat Art Show, January 2024, LATimes.com
  33. https://www.timeout.com.hk/hong-kong/hk/%E6%9C%80%E6%96%B0%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1/2024-hkwalls-%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E8%A1%97%E9%A0%AD%E8%97%9D%E8%A1%93%E7%AF%80%E6%87%B6%E4%BA%BA%E5%8C%85%EF%BC%9A%E5%A1%97%E9%B4%89%E5%A3%81%E7%95%AB%E6%89%93%E5%8D%A1%E5%9C%B0%E9%BB%9E-%E8%97%9D%E8%A1%93%E5%AE%B6-032524 Hong Kong Time Out, March 2024, TimeOut.com
  34. https://www.scmp.com/photos/today-photos/3259192/hkwalls-street-art-festival-2024-turning-ordinary-walls-original-art-hong-kong?page=10 HKwalls Street Art Festival 2024: turning ordinary walls into original art in Hong Kong, South China Post, 2024
  35. https://www.hkwalls.org/festivals/hkwalls-2024/rabi-2024/ Festivals: Rabi At Wa In Fong, HKWALLS.Org, March 2024

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