I wouldn't say I love my work because it wasn't like that, but more like raising an animal that could eat you. I don't know what to call this feeling.
—Robert Couch
Uillakku, 2009
Robert Couch ,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Roberto Cuoghi was born in Modena, Italy, in 1973 and currently lives and works in Milan. Kutch's artistic practice is unique: he has not been directly influenced by anyone, and his work is difficult to classify into any artistic genre. Over the past two decades, the commonality between his rich and diverse works lies in the artist's obsession with process: each work uses new techniques and methodologies developed by himself, with absolute creative control and the highest level of craftsmanship. Each of the artist's series is very different from its predecessors, with perfectly navigating between different mediums, mastering different forms without being defined by either style.
One of his most famous "performances" began in 1998, when the artist was only 25 years old, but he had to raise his age to 67 years old in advance, wanting to "become" his father. Over the next seven years, Couch accelerated his appearance without using any prostheses — instead, he increased his weight to more than 300 pounds, dyed his hair gray, grew a beard, and grew chronic dark circles and bags. The role left a lasting impact – although he eventually regained his appearance, the physical trauma he experienced in the process would still permanently affect his health. His film The Goodgriefies (2000) depicts this prolific period, emphasizing the complexity of Couch's new identity as an old man, mixed with altered classic cartoon characters, and the dystopian "blockbuster" that made him internationally famous. Couch does not think that these things can be simply defined as a work or a performance; rather, it is at the intersection of art and life, where time and perception, nature and technology, history and myth collide and form a new study of human nature.
Couch's body has been being transformed. When he was a student, he kept his nails for eleven months until they became claw-like, blocking his movements, preventing him from writing, and possibly causing accidental injuries. Soon, he began a performance of endurance again. He used the ridge prism eyepiece to reverse and flip his line of sight, forming a serious visual distortion. And because this visual experience was so intense and uncomfortable, he was unable to carry out his daily activities during those five days. In the process of self-imposed obstacles, Kuch is also painting self-portraits, writing poems, and turning these experiences into a series of works on paper, entitled Il Coccodeista (1997).
Robert Couch, Il Coccodeista (Self-Portrait and Prism), 1997,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth
In the early 2000s, Kutch began a new study of change, observing and examining himself and those around him. He began to use pencil, charcoal and ink to create beautiful sketches on acetate description paper, and then pressed with thick glass. The sketches capture images of strangers, landscapes, and deceased relatives, many of which come from the artist's visual memory. Many different forms emerged, such as the godzilla-like image imagined in D+P (XVIAc) mm/ac (2004), or the partial bird-like collector Dakis Joannou in MEGAS DAKIS (2007). Compared to the harsh violence in early photographic images, these works contain a certain softness; although a terrible image is depicted in it, the female Godzilla is not threatening. 2005 was a transformative time for the artist, as Couch shed his father's skin, reversed temporary time travel, and returned to his youthful appearance. Subsequent self-portraits document this period, revealing the physical damage and mental exhaustion caused by his seven-year effort. In addition, Kutch also uses self-portraits to explore other identities, portraying himself as a modern saint, intellectual, or gang member.
Robert Couch, SS (IVP)c, 2016,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Robert Couch, Pazuzu, 2008,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Although never trained in music, Couch began his exploration of sound between 2005 and 2008, creating three large sound installations. The three installations described as "Rhapsody of Injustice" – Mbube, Mei Gui, and ? Uillakku absorbed a range of influences: from South African folk songs, to banned songs from Maoist China, to the hypothetical voices of the fallen Assyrian city of Nineveh, all from injustice songs or protests in their own countries. Assyria became the object of Kuch's obsession, and he threw himself entirely into his research, learning about the culture, religion, and traditions of this ancient civilization. The Assyrian god Pazuzu, with the claws of a bird of prey, a human body, the head of a dog and the wings of a bird, has also become a recurring figure in the artist's work, including a twenty-foot-tall hybrid sculpture he created in 2008 at the Castle of Rivoli, outside Turin. Over the past decade, pazuzu's image has emerged in Kuch's work and evolved into a series of nearly unrecognizable, hidden figures made of experimental materials—a crab-like creature made of ceramic, a whale tail made of black polyurethane, or a four-headed man wearing rope and bamboo. Thus, Kutch carved in his own history a symbolic, completely unique language of form, material, and identity.
Robert Couch, SS (LXXXVIIIP)c, 2018,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Robert Couch, SS (LXXXIXP)c, 2018,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Robert Couch, SS(VIIIZ) BPR, 2012,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Live photo of Robert Coochie's work at the Italian National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2017,?? Robert Couch, photographed by Francesco Galli
Live photo of Robert Cooch's work at the 2017 Venice Biennale,?? Robert Couch, photographed by Alessandra Sofia
Cooch's work has been exhibited in many exhibitions, including the important exhibition "Imitazione di Cristo – Il Mondo Magico" at the Italian National Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2017); "Perla Pollina. 1996-2016", Center for Contemporary Art, Geneva, Switzerland, after touring to MADRE - Museum of Contemporary Art, Naples, Italy (2017); "Putiferio", Dessett Foundation for Contemporary Art, Project Space, Slaughterhouse, Greek Island of Hydra (2016); Centre for Contemporary Art, Geneva, Switzerland, "? uillakku – Corral Edition" (2008-2014), New Art Gallery, New York (2014); "Da i?ā e pi?galā a i?ā e pi?ā o pi?galā e pi?galā", Union- Art Center, Dijon, later tour to Aspen Museum of Art, Aspen (2014); Whitechapel Gallery, London (2013); "Encyclopedia Palace", curated by Maximiliano Gioni, 55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (2013); "Remnants of Memory", Aspen Museum of Art, Aspen (2012); "Robert Couch", UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2011); "10,000 Lives", Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, Korea (2010); "Pigo", New Art Museum, New York (2010); "Creating the World", 53rd Venice Biennale, Venice (2009); "? uillakku", Museum of Contemporary Art, Rivoli/Turin, Italy, Tour to ICA – Contemporary Art Institute, London (2008); "The Broken Image", Dessett Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece (2007); "Series 1", Palazzo Grazi, Venice, Italy (2007); and "Rats and Men", 4th Biennale of Contemporary Art in Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2006).
Robert Couch, SS(VIIZ)d, 2012,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
Robert Couch, SS (XIVZ) c/d, 2014,?? Robert Couch, Image: Artist, Hauserworth, Photo: Alessandra Sofia
(Article from HauserWirth Gallery)