An Interview With Kate Rohde: Talking Design & Process
Kate Rohde with Gallery Director Melanie Katsalidis, sitting atop Kate's Throne chair
To coincide with her latest exhibition, The Radiant Archive, we met with Melbourne artist Kate Rohde for a two-part interview. Gaining a deeper insight into her designs, creative process and future directions, we thank Kate for sharing more about her artistic journey to date. Read part two of the interview here.
PO8: Your work combines elements from natural history and ornate decorative arts, particularly from the Rococo era. Can you elaborate on how these influences manifest in your creations?
KR: I use a lot of imagery from the natural world, which many of these historical movements also use quite extensively. I look to Rococo and Art Nouveau to better help understand working with pattern and asymmetry, drawing on classical forms as a starting point for my own designs.
Image sourced from the Fine Art Restoration Company
PO8: You've mentioned a love for "crazy, excessive detailing" that challenges conventional tastes. How do you balance this extravagant aesthetic with modern sensibilities in your artwork?
KR: I think there’s kind of an intuitive sense of where to stop with the detail and decoration, so that it can still sit within a contemporary framework and not slip into direct imitation of historical art styles. I find it’s about leaving some spaces minimal and empty amongst the crazy.
Image from Kate Rohde's 'Luminous Realms' show at Craft, 2016-17, photography by Clare Rae
PO8: Let's discuss your creative process. Could you walk us through your process of casting in resin using gravity and rotational techniques? How does this method contribute to the unique layering and colors seen in your pieces?
KR: For the larger pieces the only way to efficiently make them is to use rotation casting techniques. It involves several steps, usually I start by having all the pieces of the mould laid open and laying several colours to get into all the detailed areas, and since these are thicker they give structural strength to the piece overall. The mould is then bolted together and small batches of resin are poured in and the mould turned constantly for 3-5 minutes until the resin starts to set, this creates a thin shell which holds everything together and make the hollow form. Since it’s a bit unpredictable how the material will flow through the mould, this makes each cast unique as you never really know how the colours will land - each cast is an experiment.
PO8: Tell us about your recent installation with Hermès - how did it come about, and what did you gain from the experience?
KR: I’d met Eric Matthews - who manages all the Australian Hermès special installations - several times in the past as he is often attending arts events and exhibitions. He approached me in early 2023 to see if I’d be interested in creating an installation for the Sydney store over the Christmas / summer period, which I was. I had a relatively short lead time to create a wide range of pieces for the window display, and for several locations through the store. It was a great experience working with them, as they were able to create a lot of specialised display stands and infrastructure for showing the works. All I really had to do was make the work and they did the rest.
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To see more of Kate's striking and colourful collection, visit her artist page.
