Rodney McMillian: In Other Realms

Capitain Petzel is pleased to announce Rodney McMillian‘s first solo exhibition with the gallery, opening during Gallery Weekend Berlin 2026. About Los Angeles-based artist Rodney McMillian (born 1969 in Columbia, South Carolina) is known for his multidisciplinary practice, which includes painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and writing. His work often addresses themes of race, labor, and social inequality, drawing attention to overlooked materials and marginalized histories. McMillian frequently uses found objects such as blankets, tarps, and architectural fragments, transforming them into powerful statements about care, survival, and political resistance. Through his art, he challenges traditional narratives and invites viewers to reflect on the social structures that shape everyday life. McMillian’s work has been featured in major international exhibitions, most recently in the comprehensive survey The Land: Not Without a Politic at Marta Herford Museum, Germany, which presented works spanning his career and was accompanied by an exhibition catalogue. In spring 2026, he will have a solo exhibition at the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina. McMillian was included in the 2022 Whitney Biennial and has exhibited at institutions including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; MoMA PS1, New York; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; the Studio Museum in Harlem; the Aspen Art Museum; and ICA Philadelphia. His work is held in prominent public collections such as The Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the Haubrok Collection, Berlin, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. For his first exhibition with Capitain Petzel, McMillian will present a group of new works from his Black Paintings series, alongside sculptures and a recently completed film. The Black Paintings are among his most recognized bodies of work. Their heavily worked surfaces are marked by folds, seams and vivid chromatic variations. McMillian often uses unconventional materials such as (black) vinyl and fabric, which he paints and manipulates so that their physical qualities remain visible. They do not serve merely as a surface; rather, they appear structured, worn, and materially present. While these works enter into dialogue with the tradition of abstract painting – particularly artists like Ad Reinhardt – McMillian challenges the notion of “pure” abstraction. His black paintings can be read politically, referencing Black identity, visibility and invisibility, and broader social and historical power structures embedded within both US-American society and the history of art. Read more Toggle Sculpture Film / Video Painting