1 00:00:08,872 --> 00:00:11,000 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:34,168 --> 00:00:35,696 Robin Rhode:  Split, split, split. 3 00:00:35,696 --> 00:00:36,452 Come on, split. 4 00:00:40,146 --> 00:00:40,646 Split, please. 5 00:00:45,543 --> 00:00:47,094 Alright guys, strip the van, please. 6 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:51,737 I've been working here for about eight  years. 7 00:00:51,737 --> 00:00:53,963 I think the wall is fantastic in terms of its scale. 8 00:00:54,450 --> 00:00:59,497 There's an amazing crack in  the surface, which appears in all of my works. 9 00:01:04,867 --> 00:01:05,930 Drawing team! 10 00:01:06,084 --> 00:01:07,872 I developed from a three-man crew 11 00:01:07,872 --> 00:01:09,794 that would do pieces around Johannesburg 12 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,166 to this location here, which then developed to 13 00:01:12,166 --> 00:01:14,482 a much larger crew of 10 persons, 14 00:01:14,482 --> 00:01:16,837 consisting of guys that are from this particular area. 15 00:01:19,479 --> 00:01:25,833 Over the last year or so, some of my team have vanished. Two are currently in jail. 16 00:01:26,372 --> 00:01:28,373 Kevin, here, is director of drawing. 17 00:01:30,450 --> 00:01:34,864 Standby six-pack, Castle Lite.  I want change and receipt. 18 00:01:36,659 --> 00:01:38,804 Producing a work of art is easy. 19 00:01:39,835 --> 00:01:43,139 It's surviving day-to-day life that's the difficult part here. 20 00:01:44,673 --> 00:01:49,310 This is the shoemaker. Shoemaker has been  working with us for almost two years. 21 00:01:53,657 --> 00:01:54,657 What's happening? 22 00:01:54,657 --> 00:01:55,490 Shaun:  All right, big man. 23 00:01:55,926 --> 00:01:57,477 Robin Rhode:  Big man! What's up, bru? 24 00:01:57,477 --> 00:01:58,670 Shaun:  All right, you bru? You well? 25 00:01:58,926 --> 00:01:59,918 Robin Rhode: This is Shaun. 26 00:01:59,918 --> 00:02:01,497 Shaun: You see when Robin gets here. 27 00:02:01,497 --> 00:02:02,972 Start hooting here, beep, beep, beep, beep. 28 00:02:02,972 --> 00:02:05,000 and then they all get you. Then they all all get here! 29 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,000 [laughter] 30 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,459 Robin Rhode: Across the train line is Westbury, this is Newclare. 31 00:02:10,429 --> 00:02:13,575 This is where I was raised. This is where I grew up. 32 00:02:15,370 --> 00:02:16,410 This is a colored area. 33 00:02:16,410 --> 00:02:19,222 We are a community of  mixed-race people. 34 00:02:19,376 --> 00:02:21,600 We are African, Islamic, 35 00:02:22,006 --> 00:02:24,263 but we have European ancestry as well. 36 00:02:24,416 --> 00:02:25,300 - Standby coconut. 37 00:02:25,737 --> 00:02:28,778 We reinvent various cultures. 38 00:02:30,368 --> 00:02:31,458 Stand by. 39 00:02:34,843 --> 00:02:38,333 Stand by, blade. Stand by, Unwrap boxes, please. 40 00:02:39,846 --> 00:02:42,209 There will be a handover  taking place this afternoon. 41 00:02:42,541 --> 00:02:43,436 - Snap back. 42 00:02:43,436 --> 00:02:44,500 To form this camaraderie, 43 00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:45,709 to form this team, 44 00:02:46,017 --> 00:02:47,522 We're going military. 45 00:02:47,676 --> 00:02:48,214 - Try. 46 00:02:48,214 --> 00:02:49,291 - We're German. 47 00:02:50,522 --> 00:02:51,921 Robin Rhode:  We're art soldiers. 48 00:02:52,203 --> 00:02:52,767 - Shoemaker. 49 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:55,461 Discipline is a huge factor here. 50 00:02:55,461 --> 00:02:57,472 - Randy, can you work? 51 00:02:58,909 --> 00:03:03,184 Everyone's coming with their own personal  issues and when we work, the issues need 52 00:03:03,184 --> 00:03:05,000 to be left on the pavement. 53 00:03:05,549 --> 00:03:07,498 Who votes for Randy in? 54 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,678 - I got two hands for you. 55 00:03:11,012 --> 00:03:11,512 - Welcome aboard. 56 00:03:11,512 --> 00:03:12,697 Robin Rhode: Welcome aboard, Randy. 57 00:03:12,697 --> 00:03:14,608 - Welcome, soldier. - Welcome, soldier. 58 00:03:19,314 --> 00:03:20,545 Robin Rhode:  Thanks, guys. Let's push. 59 00:03:20,545 --> 00:03:21,718 Let's finish this job. 60 00:03:23,435 --> 00:03:26,917 My team are paid on a daily rate, but it's beyond 61 00:03:26,917 --> 00:03:27,872 just cash. 62 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:34,340 It gives him a sense of status,  as somebody that is part of something really 63 00:03:34,340 --> 00:03:35,989 positive and productive. 64 00:03:36,938 --> 00:03:41,235 Your contribution,  no matter what level it is, has value. 65 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,140 So I used to play football here. 66 00:03:54,140 --> 00:03:58,598 I played under 12s, under 14s and under 16s. 67 00:03:59,060 --> 00:04:02,840 I must say, when I was younger,  the conditions were a lot better. 68 00:04:04,481 --> 00:04:07,590 There's not much facilities for the youth  to engage with. 69 00:04:07,590 --> 00:04:11,785 So, there is also other modes of spending their free time, 70 00:04:11,785 --> 00:04:13,640 and that's a  problem. 71 00:04:14,461 --> 00:04:16,999 You have a beautiful park in this area, 72 00:04:16,999 --> 00:04:21,930 but opposite the park is, like one of the  biggest drug gang wars in Johannesburg. 73 00:04:26,213 --> 00:04:32,184 You know, when I'm not here, this also creates a huge vacuum for the team that I work with. 74 00:04:33,184 --> 00:04:40,000 I'm not sure how productive they will be if I'm not around, 75 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:45,250 or do they have an employment of some sort. 76 00:04:45,712 --> 00:04:48,497 So, um, yeah. It's a major issue. 77 00:04:50,728 --> 00:04:55,888 It's only a matter of time before I do a piece  on this wall. It's only a matter of time. 78 00:04:59,325 --> 00:05:05,000 ♪ ♪ [hip-hop music] ♪ ♪ 79 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,330 Strip the van please, unload. ASAP. 80 00:05:15,231 --> 00:05:16,348 - Standby spirit level. 81 00:05:16,550 --> 00:05:21,909 As a school kid, we had a form of hazing in the toilets of the school. 82 00:05:22,396 --> 00:05:23,601 We used to steal 83 00:05:23,601 --> 00:05:29,418 the chalk in the classrooms, draw objects  onto the toilet walls, and force young kids 84 00:05:29,418 --> 00:05:32,364 to interact and engage with the drawings, 85 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:34,421 to ride a bike 86 00:05:35,667 --> 00:05:37,209 or to blow out a candle. 87 00:05:38,109 --> 00:05:42,247 I think that kind of planted the seed  for my practice as a young artist. 88 00:05:44,273 --> 00:05:45,273 ♪ ♪ 89 00:05:51,556 --> 00:05:55,000 I used to create these performances for  myself and for the camera, where I would 90 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,718 just draw an object on the wall and interact with it. 91 00:06:00,591 --> 00:06:03,060 One of the first objects I drew was the bicycle, 92 00:06:03,932 --> 00:06:07,206 and then it became a television, then it became a chair, 93 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,880 and it just began to extend  itself further and further. 94 00:06:12,111 --> 00:06:18,620 We use humor as a mode of survival, and  we use play as a means to destabilize 95 00:06:18,620 --> 00:06:20,499 various dominant structures. 96 00:06:21,730 --> 00:06:23,710 - Standby! 97 00:06:23,710 --> 00:06:25,380 - Wall touch up green, here. 98 00:06:25,380 --> 00:06:28,879 Johannesburg, there is no art education whatsoever. 99 00:06:28,879 --> 00:06:30,297 - Stand by, shot one! 100 00:06:31,220 --> 00:06:32,220 And go! 101 00:06:32,220 --> 00:06:33,370 Oh, beautiful, Kevin! 102 00:06:33,370 --> 00:06:35,259 So how do we engage with minimalism? 103 00:06:36,084 --> 00:06:37,418 - Thank you very much. 104 00:06:37,536 --> 00:06:42,543 Minimalism. I would reference and rework  in a kind of humor-orientated way. 105 00:06:42,819 --> 00:06:46,590 Feet up higher, higher. Yes! Two shots. 106 00:06:47,487 --> 00:06:49,785 Standby bike. Standby bike. 107 00:06:53,350 --> 00:06:57,440 The Institute for Quality. Building South Africa. 108 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,650 Child by Child. 109 00:06:59,650 --> 00:07:01,620 So doppelganger is a kind of body double 110 00:07:01,876 --> 00:07:04,011 to represent me in the works. 111 00:07:04,396 --> 00:07:05,397 - Arm lower. Yeah. 112 00:07:05,500 --> 00:07:10,530 The doppelganger also acts as a stand-in for  the viewer. He's standing on the bike, lying 113 00:07:10,530 --> 00:07:13,092 on the bike, never touching the surface of the 114 00:07:13,092 --> 00:07:16,473 ground, trying to grapple with gravity, in a way. 115 00:07:17,832 --> 00:07:20,000 I'm trying to escape time. 116 00:07:20,446 --> 00:07:21,949 Look up. Yeah. Two. 117 00:07:21,949 --> 00:07:25,430 And this is why I've been  so fascinated with geometry. 118 00:07:25,430 --> 00:07:26,430 - Painters! 119 00:07:27,174 --> 00:07:31,107 The simple geometric form allows for kind of transcendence 120 00:07:31,107 --> 00:07:34,412 over time, over space, over geography 121 00:07:39,361 --> 00:07:43,715 A lot of preparatory drawings take  place in my studio, in Berlin. 122 00:07:47,972 --> 00:07:50,549 Berlin just gives me that breathing space to 123 00:07:50,549 --> 00:07:53,002 internalize what I've created in South Africa. 124 00:07:57,030 --> 00:08:00,603 I first came to Berlin in 2001. I had a residency. 125 00:08:01,629 --> 00:08:05,248 I met a beautiful woman, that eventually became my wife. 126 00:08:06,408 --> 00:08:11,841 We have two sons. My family is what roots me to Berlin. 127 00:08:13,380 --> 00:08:15,586 I think that being here has given me 128 00:08:15,586 --> 00:08:19,077 a level of education that I never actually  had in Johannesburg. 129 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:21,020 All those years ago, 130 00:08:21,020 --> 00:08:26,334 I said that I would school myself by reading magazines, 131 00:08:26,642 --> 00:08:28,909 going to exhibitions, going to museums. 132 00:08:29,063 --> 00:08:30,770 [imitates piano] 133 00:08:31,975 --> 00:08:36,456 Berlin has given me that kind of hands-on  experience in understanding different artistic 134 00:08:36,456 --> 00:08:40,000 movements, from the Bauhaus to Der Blaue Reiter. 135 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:44,493 I'm an artist that really loves art history. 136 00:08:47,750 --> 00:08:50,389 When I think about the studio, I get really 137 00:08:52,210 --> 00:08:58,210 emotional because it's luxury. It's  the great space to think. 138 00:08:59,339 --> 00:09:02,064 But I have an army on the street in Johannesburg, 139 00:09:02,424 --> 00:09:06,541 and my studio is a beautiful piece of architecture. 140 00:09:08,541 --> 00:09:12,610 A street corner in Johannesburg offers a lot more danger and risk. 141 00:09:12,610 --> 00:09:15,160 And the danger and risk becomes a kind of 142 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:20,130 subliminal effect on the energy of that work. 143 00:09:21,976 --> 00:09:24,157 South Africa, there's a lot more vibrant, 144 00:09:24,157 --> 00:09:25,567 a lot more colorful. 145 00:09:28,593 --> 00:09:29,593 ♪ ♪ 146 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:36,909 Maxime Scheepers: I am good friends with Kevin, 147 00:09:36,909 --> 00:09:41,216 and Kevin has worked with Robin so many times before. 148 00:09:41,216 --> 00:09:44,201 And I always just hear the stories of how amazing it is. 149 00:09:44,201 --> 00:09:45,761 - Yay. Thank you so much. 150 00:09:46,300 --> 00:09:47,889 And I see the final product. 151 00:09:47,889 --> 00:09:49,769 - You guys are so cool. 152 00:09:49,769 --> 00:09:51,600 I've always wanted to work with him. 153 00:09:52,344 --> 00:09:54,110 Robin Rhode: Just take note that we, you know 154 00:09:54,110 --> 00:09:56,899 once you put in a few missions, 155 00:09:56,899 --> 00:10:00,550 you do receive the Amarillo bottle string. 156 00:10:01,217 --> 00:10:02,350 Maxime Scheepers: For levels. 157 00:10:02,350 --> 00:10:03,980 Robin Rhode: For levels. This is our levels, 158 00:10:03,980 --> 00:10:05,042 our tour of duty. 159 00:10:09,808 --> 00:10:13,290 If I combine that performance with what I'm  drawing on the wall, 160 00:10:13,290 --> 00:10:15,350 that can lead to a visual language. 161 00:10:16,837 --> 00:10:21,907 Today, the drawing is replaced by a  sculpture of children's jungle gyms 162 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,140 as a set for this particular performance piece. 163 00:10:25,140 --> 00:10:27,779 Kevin:  Given by you. And we say- 164 00:10:27,779 --> 00:10:29,410 Maxime Scheepers:  sow the seed 165 00:10:29,410 --> 00:10:32,710 Kevin: Paint the wall. Be at home 166 00:10:32,710 --> 00:10:34,810 Together: in our desert for all. 167 00:10:34,810 --> 00:10:37,421 Robin Rhode:  I was inspired by the poet, 168 00:10:37,421 --> 00:10:39,591 James Matthews, and Gladys Thomas, 169 00:10:40,232 --> 00:10:42,732 because the youth that they were referring to was myself, 170 00:10:43,117 --> 00:10:44,807 being born in the mid-1970s. 171 00:10:45,781 --> 00:10:48,989 Dedicated to all the children of South Africa 172 00:10:49,810 --> 00:10:52,875 who will become one family, brothers and sisters. 173 00:10:53,516 --> 00:10:57,962 It's the first collection of poems that  was banned by the apartheid government. 174 00:10:58,860 --> 00:11:01,740 It speaks of the white fences in society, 175 00:11:01,740 --> 00:11:04,279 speaks about the city as a jungle, 176 00:11:04,279 --> 00:11:05,640 demarcated areas, 177 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:09,081 identity and race, and these ideas are 178 00:11:09,081 --> 00:11:11,190 playing out right now on the streets of South Africa. 179 00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:19,091 Kevin: The poetry comes from two colored poets, 180 00:11:19,091 --> 00:11:21,498 and we're both mixed race. 181 00:11:22,165 --> 00:11:23,735 Learning them and reciting  them 182 00:11:23,940 --> 00:11:26,840 is the most beautiful part about this whole process. 183 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:28,040 It still relates to us now. 184 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,360 Maxime Scheepers: But it's also harsh, I think, pieces of it. 185 00:11:32,694 --> 00:11:34,472 It's something we want to play with, you know? 186 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:41,167 Shh! 187 00:11:45,245 --> 00:11:48,678 Maxime Scheepers: A beautiful land with beautiful 188 00:11:48,678 --> 00:11:52,990 mountains and beautiful seas, 189 00:11:54,554 --> 00:11:56,567 but not for me. 190 00:11:57,876 --> 00:12:02,255 Come, take my hand,  stop touring and go slumming with me. 191 00:12:03,307 --> 00:12:05,680 Kevin and Maxine:  Look before your eyes. 192 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:08,770 Maxime Scheepers: You see a jungle. 193 00:12:08,770 --> 00:12:10,610 Kevin: See the white cages. 194 00:12:10,610 --> 00:12:13,120 Maxime Scheepers:  With thousands of animals running wild. 195 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:17,300 Kevin:  Look into their eyes. Haunted eyes. 196 00:12:19,044 --> 00:12:20,760 Robin Rhode:  We're working so much focus around the 197 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,760 aspect of youth, and we refer to the 198 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:25,130 youth as the born frees. 199 00:12:25,130 --> 00:12:26,700 Maxime Scheepers:  We say, sow the seed. 200 00:12:26,700 --> 00:12:27,740 Kevin:  Paint the wall. 201 00:12:27,740 --> 00:12:31,520 And the born frees don't have the same experiences as my generation have, 202 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,400 and the generation before me, 203 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:35,520 of understanding the mechanisms of apartheid. 204 00:12:37,648 --> 00:12:39,800 So they are still trying to find themselves 205 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,867 and find a position for themselves in society. 206 00:12:44,201 --> 00:12:45,642 Robin Rhode:  What do you guys want to do? 207 00:12:45,770 --> 00:12:46,770 - Anything. 208 00:12:46,770 --> 00:12:48,759 Robin Rhode: Anything? You want to paint? 209 00:12:49,529 --> 00:12:50,980 - Yeah, we can paint. 210 00:12:51,365 --> 00:12:53,949 When you give young people a sense of worth, 211 00:12:53,949 --> 00:12:58,144 you can really change your own identity and sense of self. 212 00:12:59,606 --> 00:13:04,084 And this is something that  I try to communicate to my young crew. 213 00:13:12,355 --> 00:13:20,000 When I see the works exhibited on a wall of a gallery, of a museum, it's almost muted, 214 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:21,006 somehow. 215 00:13:22,683 --> 00:13:27,896 But the energy and excitement of the process  is so intoxicating. 216 00:13:28,254 --> 00:13:29,242 - Standby photography. 217 00:13:29,897 --> 00:13:31,506 That's why I always go back to the wall. 218 00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:46,251 To learn more about Art21 and  our educational resources, 219 00:13:46,251 --> 00:13:51,340 please visit us online at pbs.org/art21.