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. 

Grad’s work addresses existential issues surrounding desire, fulfillment, and resilience in a society inundated by technology, social media and politics. His new work is increasingly influenced by his early career as a musician, when he was signed to RCA records and appeared on MTV not long after graduating high school. 

He is a product of the “MTV generation,” which found its identity through a shared global experience before the invention of social media. It was a generation that invented itself as it went along. This ethos is a cornerstone of Grad’s studio practice, always pushing himself into new and uncomfortable territory in an effort to extract the extraordinary from the mundane. 

He has shown in museums, galleries and art fairs from Basel to Miami, and Los Angeles. In 2024 he will be exhibiting at the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, CA as part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time initiative. Other exhibitions include the Museum of Art and History in Lancaster, CA, Torrance Art Museum, Haute Photographie in Rotterdam, and the Griffin Museum of Photography in Boston. He has large-scale commissioned works installed on both coasts, and his work is held in private collections.

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

CV

Solo Exhibitions
2024 There’s Nothing Here, Except Everything - Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA
2023 There’s Nothing Here, Except Everything (Installation) - Los Angeles Art Association, West Hollywood, CA
2023 There’s Nothing Here, Except Everything - Christopher Martin Gallery, Dallas, TX
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
2017 I Got This – Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Trust – Frame Gallery, Agoura, CA
2010 NOW – Sydney and Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, FL

Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Desert Forest – Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, CA (Getty Pacific Standard Time event)
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 (In association with Art Basel and the city of Basel)
2017 Ping Pong – LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2016 National Photography Competition – foto foto gallery, Huntington, NY
2016 Open Desert – Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA
2015 Where the Magic Happens – Gallery H, Hawthorne, CA
2015 Back to the Roots: A Tribute to Richard Duardo – Autry Historic Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2015 5×10: Contemporary – ArtXchange, Long Beach, 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 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
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 artwork and video with movie director, Ann Lu)
2015 VS – Los Angeles Art Association Los Angeles, CA
2012 Allez/Of Two – Paris, France (performance in collaboration with OIDEM and the city of Paris)

Residencies
2023 “The Rules of Progress” - Prime Desert Woodland Preserve in association with the Museum of Art and History (MOAH) in Lancaster, CA

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
2013 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