John Robinson: The Shed

At the core of the exhibition stands a literal and symbolic “shed”—once rooted in his Worcestershire communal garden, now transformed into a nomadic space for performance, memory, and metamorphosis. Having traveled from to Rotterdam and now Venice, this itinerant space becomes a symbolic space, an intimate yet boundless structure framing an ongoing exploration of performance as painting.

During the exhibition’s opening week, the shed will serve as the setting for a series of intimate and cathartic performances, including a re-enactment of Robinson’s childhood birthday party and a tarot reading with handcrafted cards that upend the historical expectation of structured superstition. As part of the experience, those participating in the performances will enter the painting itself, becoming an integral part of Robinson’s artwork, their presence permanently captured on canvas during the event, blurring the line between art, memory, and documentation.