Tracey Rose

Tracey Rose (born 1974) is a South African artist who lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rose is best known for her performances, video installations, and photographs.

Biography Tracey Rose was born in 1974 in Durban, South Africa. She attended the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where she obtained her B.A. degree in Fine Arts in 1996. She taught at Vaal Triangle Technikon, Vanderbijl Park, South Africa, and at the University of the Witwatersrand. In February and March 2001, she was artist-in-residence in Cape Town at the South African National Gallery, where she developed her work for the Venice Biennale 2001 curated by Harald Szeemann. Rose is represented in the US by Christian Haye of The Project. In 2006 The Independent named Tracey Rose was named as one of the 50 best artists of Africa . Baaba Maal,Owusu Ankomah; Ian Birrell, Margaret Busby, Augustus Casely-Hayford, Thelma Holt ,Frances Harding, Gregory Maqoma and Keith Shiri comprised the panel. According to Jan Avgikos, "part of Rose's appeal is her fluid referencing of '60s and '70s performance art".

The Thinker, found object and text, 1996. reproduction of the sculpture The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. Span I and Span II, 1997. The work was presented at the second Johannesburg Biennale in the show Graft curated by Colin Richards, 1997. The work was also presented at the Dakar Biennale in 2000., Ongetiteld (Untitled). A video made with surveillance cameras in which she shaves off all of her body hair. The work was presented in Democracy's Images, Bildmuseet in Umeå in Sweden, 1998. TKO, 2000. Ciao Bella, 2001. The work was produced for the Venice Biennale 2001. Lolita, 2001, lambda photograph, 120 x 120 cm. The Kiss, 2001, lambda photograph. Venus Baartman, 2001, lambda photograph, 120 x 120 cm. Half A, 2003, digital print, 55 x 37.5 cm. Lucie's Fur Version 1:1:1 – La Messie, 2003, lambda photograph, 148 x 102 cm. The Prelude The Gardenpath, 2006, DVD.

Exhibitions According to Sue Williamson, The Project, New York City, 2004 The Thieveing Fuck and the Intagalactic Lay, The Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, 2004 The Project, New York City, NY, 2007 Plantation Lullabies, The Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, 2008 The Cockpit, MC Kunst, Los Angeles, 2008 Raison d'être, Espace doual'art, Douala, 2009 Shooting down Babylon, ZEITZ MOCAA, 2021

Group exhibitions

Scramble, Civic Theatre Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1996 Hitch-hiker, Generator Art Space, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1996 Graft-Trade Routes History and Geography, (catalogue) 2nd Johannesburg Biennale, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 1997 50 Stories (co-curator), "Top of Africa" Carlton Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1997 Cross/ings, (catalogue) Museum of Contemporary Art, Tampa, USA, 1997 FNB Vita Awards, (catalogue) Sandton Art Gallery, Johannesburg, 1997 Purity and Danger, Gertrude Posel Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, 1997 7th Triennale der Klienplastik, (catalogue) Europe Africa, SudwestLB Forum, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998 Guagrene Arte 98, Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo per l'arte, Turino, Italy, 1998 Democracy's Images, (catalogue) Photography and Visual Art After Apartheid, Bildmuseet, Umea, Sweden, 1998 Dark Continent, Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn, South Africa, 1998 Art of the World 1998, (catalogue) Passage de Retz, Paris, France, 1998 Video Cult/ures ZKM, Museum fur Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany, 1999 Channel, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa, 1999 Dialog: Vice Verses, (catalogue) Europe Africa, SudwestLB Forum, Stuttgart, Germany, 1999 2000 ArtPace, San Antonio (residency) documenta 14 exhibition, Athens, Greece and Kassel, Germany, 2017 Performa 07 biennial, New York, United States, 2017 “May You Live In Interesting Times”, 58th Venice Biennale, Italy, 2019.

Interviews and press

Nkgopoleng Moloi. 2018. Through the language of performance Tracey Rose creates art that refuses to settle. Bubblegum Club. Zaza Hlalethwa. 2019. "More than one layer to the art and life of Tracey Rose". Mail & Guardian. Carli Collison. 2022. "The calling of Tracey Rose". Mail & Guardian. Sindi-Leigh McBride. 2022. "The courage and catharsis of Tracey Rose". News24.

Scholarly influence

Boulle, C., & Pather, J. 2019. Acts of Transgression. WITS Press: Johannesburg