About Leonie Rhodes
Leonie Rhodes is an established, acquired and award-winning sculptor from South London, now working from Brisbane on unceeded Jagera and Turrbal land. Leonie studied Fine art Sculpture at Chelsea School of Art London and Figurative sculpture at the New York Studio School, NY.
Influenced by the figurative and religious history of art, graffiti and urban counter-cultures, Leonie makes sculpture, paintings, and installations in public places. Their multidisciplinary practice is built on material- based skills, collaborative relationships, and thought. Their work has a therapeutic and political sensibility across mediums.
Leonie’s prolific DJ alter ego, a naughty cat called ‘Boom Boom Bean Selecta,’ (BBBS) plays historically informed and intricately mixed dance floor experiences. The popularity of their music creates a framework for exploring intersectional systems of marginalisation with the wider public. BBBS’S participatory public events explore collective joy, serious play and street art as potential modes for personal and social transformation.
2022 SWELL ARTWORK – BBBS. Bronze Pattern for Digital Avatar, Leonie Rhodes
Boom-Boom-Bean-Selecta is Leonie’s alter-ego, a mischievous feline ‘other’ that emerged as a protective mechanism in childhood and developed into a DJ- persona. The sculpture is a ‘phygital’ meta- portrait of that sonic-self, which was digitally scanned and uploaded into the Metaverse. The grey-patina camouflages it for urban environments while the digital avatar can transform with any environment, adopting its surroundings as new coats, celebrating the equity and transfiguration possible in socio-virtual reality. Leaning forward, the piece also looks back, maintaining a connection to ancient material processes, forged for defence against dangerous dis- information.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leonierhodes/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leonierhodesfineart
Website: https://leonierhodes.com/
Come and see for yourself at SWELL Sculpture Festival, Pacific Parade, Currumbin 9-18 September.