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Justus de Rode

@justusderode

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31/10 - 6/12
the earth is the ear of the bear
Solo show @xx_nihilo
Copenhagen (DK)
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The Body of the Bear in the Den, 2026 Oil on linen, 40 x 200 cm #delphianopencall by @justusderode
Very very excited to introduce Katabasis (2026), my first video work, premiering at @photolondonfair next week. Katabasis (2026, single channel 4K video, 5:35 min loop) is part of the larger body of work Heaving Stone, Winged Dream (2026), drawing on the cave as a living archive in response to ambiguous loss. Rooted in both archaeological and classical reference, the work follows a descent into and out of a cave in futile search of reunion. The cave seems alive, emerging and retreating in slow succession, breathing. Moving between weight and release, presence and absence, the familiar briefly surfaces and retreats again in a cycle without closure. Field recordings from the cave form the basis of the soundscape, developed in collaboration with sound designer NAKANO BLU (@nakanoblu ). Katabasis will be screening next week at the new video section of @photolondonfair 14 - 17 may Preview day on 13 May Screening Room Ground Floor, National Hall, Olympia, London (UK) A big thank you to @culturemoveseurope for supporting this project and to @jeanmichelmabrukimussa for assisting me Slide 1: video still Slide 2: video fragment by @justusderode
the earth is the ear of the bear, solo show at @xx_nihilo 31 October - 6 December Ex Nihilo Haraldsgade 16B Copenhagen (DK) “In the earth is the ear of the bear, De Rode brings together works from multiple projects, all circling the cave as a living archive where different temporalities, mourning rituals, and forms of belief converge. Through a variety of media, the show reflects on the diminished space for ritual and alternative forms of knowledge within an increasingly rationalised world. At its centre is the bear, a recurring figure in De Rode’s work that operates both as a personal reference and as a wider ecological symbol, while also taking on the role of an object of worship. Its presence connects the works to De Rode’s ongoing exploration of ambiguous loss and the absence of rituals through which grief might be expressed, held, or transformed. On the occasion of this exhibition, De Rode created the installation Remains (2026), a handmade ceramic bear skeleton, in addition to Rite of Passage (2026), it’s skull made earlier this year. The creation process here becomes a ritual act of itself, while the placement of both spatial works and their relation to each other echo the famous archaeological scene from the Chauvet cave: a bear skull sitting on top of a rock, placed by human hands 32.000 years ago, considered the origins of ritual and worship.” by @justusderode
Katabasis (Single channel 16:9 4K video, 5:35 min loop, 2026) will be on view as part of my upcoming solo show ‘the earth is the ear of the bear’, opening this saturday at @xx_nihilo, Copenhagen (DK). Echoing Virgil’s Aeneid VI, Katabasis follows a descent into and out of a cave in futile search of reunion. The cave seems alive, emerging and retreating in slow succession, breathing. Moving between presence and absence, the familiar briefly surfaces and retreats. Built from field recordings, the sounddesign is made in collaboration with @nakanoblu the earth is the ear of the bear 31 October - 21 November Opening 31 October 17:00 - 20:00 Ex Nihilo Haraldsgade 16B, Copenhagen by @justusderode
We’re looking forward to welcoming Justus de Rode to Ex Nihilo. He’s coming all the way from Amsterdam to show 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳, opening Saturday 31 October. Through photography, sculpture and video, the exhibition proposes the cave as a living archive where different temporalities, mourning rituals and forms of belief converge. Responding to ambiguous loss, it reflects on the diminished place of ritual and alternative forms of knowledge in modernity. Justus de Rode (b. 1997, Groningen) grew up in a painter’s household, and his practice moves across media. Scholarly inquiry and the numinous inform his work in equal measure, and a tension between reason and instinct runs through all of it. Recurring motifs like the cave and the bear reach back toward prehistoric spirituality, mysticism and not-knowing, in response to a disenchanted present. by @justusderode
Reconstruction, 2026 Oil on linen, 30 x 24 cm by @justusderode
Currently on view @josilda_da_conceicao_gallery as part of The bear prefers to remain silent, alongside @mariakley @vincentverhoef The Body of the Bear in the Den, 2026 40 x 200 cm, oil on linen by @justusderode
Portable, 2026 Oil on linen, 30 x 20 cm Currently on view at @josilda_da_conceicao_gallery as part of ‘the bear prefers to remain silent’ alongside @vincentverhoef & @mariakley until 3 October. by @justusderode
Box with a plaster inlay I made for the video work Katabasis, including a cave soil lithograph. Specs Ed. 2 + 2 AP 34 x 24 x 3 cm 30 x 20 lithograph, signed & numbered USB cast in plaster + Files & certificates Currently on show at @josilda_da_conceicao_gallery until Oct 3rd. by @justusderode
Thank you @mondriaanfonds for supporting the video installation Katabasis, 2026 (Single channel 4K colour video, 5:35 min loop) currently on view at @josilda_da_conceicao_gallery among some other new works Sound design @nakanoblu the bear prefers to remain silent 5 sept - 3 oct @vincentverhoef @mariakley 📸 @jonathandewaart by @justusderode
The Excavation, 2026 Oil on linen, 150 x 60 cm by @justusderode
Josilda da Conceição is pleased to present ‘the bear prefers to remain silent’ with works by Maria Kley, Justus de Rode and Vincent Verhoef, opening on Saturday September 5th, 16:00 - 19:00. The show proposes the notion of the cave, or what lies underground, as a frame of reference. Here, the cave is understood as both archive and shelter, linking personal histories to a larger temporal realm. “Wild animals are similar to human beings, only more sacred. Hunting is pure. Wild animals love people who are pure. How could I hunt, if before it I had not done a drawing? The biggest danger in life is that the food of humans is all made of souls. The soul of the bear is a miniature bear that is found in its head. The bear can talk, but prefers to remain silent. Those who talk to the bear, calling it by name, make it gentle and harmless. An inept man who sacrifices takes more wild animals than an able hunter who doesn’t sacrifice. Every hunt is a hunt for souls.” (from The Celestial Hunter by Roberto Calasso) @mariakley @vincentverhoef @justusderode @josilda_da_conceicao_gallery by @justusderode

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