John Robinson

Exhibition: John Robinson - People Ruin Paintings

Curator: Hanna Ouaziz

Opening: Opening on February 13, 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Exhibition: February 14, 2026 - April 28, 2026

Where: Nodenaysteen, Predikherenlei 4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

Dear art lover, visitor, supporter,

The DeNode Foundation proudly invites you to the opening of ‘People Ruin Paintings’, the first solo presentation of British artist John Robinson in Ghent.

The exhibition highlights the essence of Robinson's practice: performance art in direct relation to painting. During the opening, a series of performances will be presented that serve as a basis for future works. Additionally, completed series of paintings that have emerged from previous performances will be on display.

About the Artist

John Robinson (b. 1981) lives and works in Worcester, UK. He studied Fine Arts at Falmouth College of Arts while apprenticing with painter Robert Lenkiewicz in Plymouth. Awarded the Richard Ford Scholarship by the Royal Academy of Arts, Robinson spent a formative year as an artist in residence at the Prado Museum in Madrid, where he studied Velázquez and Goya, among others. He remained in Madrid for a decade, interrupted by an MA in Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins in London, where he developed "self-portrait as (other...)" and "painting as disguise."

Robinson has exhibited internationally and received the Peter Spicer Award for Excellence in Creative Arts (First Place), Richard Ford Award for Painting (Royal Academy, London), Premio de Pintura Focus-Abengoa (Seville), and the Hauser & Wirth Prize (Somerset). His works are in private and public collections, including the University of the Arts London, the Focus-Abengoa Foundation (Seville), the Wellcome Collection (London), the British Council Collection (UK), and the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam).

About the Curator

Hanna Ouaziz is a French curator and cultural strategist whose work bridges critical research, institutional frameworks, and the sensory experience of art. Trained in art history and law, she develops exhibitions and programs that explore process, narrative, and transmission in Europe and Asia. As Associate Curator at DeNode Foundation (Ghent), she leads international artistic initiatives and an independent advisory practice rooted in a rigorous, transformative vision of contemporary art.

About DeNode

DeNode Foundation is a foundation for contemporary art, based in Ghent. It develops exhibitions and artistic projects that are rooted in attention to process and context. DeNode supports practices that unfold over time and resist simplification, privileging works that engage thought, perception, and lived experience.

You are welcome to the opening of the exhibition on Friday, February 13 at 6:00 PM.

On behalf of the team at DeNode Foundation,

Paul, Kristof and Hanna