Rob Spence … Between comedy and artistic depth

Rob Spence, born in Sydney / Australia in 1966. He discovered his passion for the visual arts at an early age. Today he is best known as a celebrated actor and comedian in Switzerland, but his journey as an artist began long before his humorous stage career.

From a young age, Spence showed an exceptional talent for drawing and won numerous art awards. After leaving school, he studied fine arts, before dedicating himself to acting, which he completed with a Bachelor of Creative Arts. On this basis, he developed impressive visual performances focussing on pantomime, which have taken him to over 35 countries. His balloon sketch is particularly well known, having gone viral worldwide and been viewed over 100 million times on social media.

For the past 15 years, Spence has devoted himself intensively to painting, returning to his artistic roots. His work is a colourful symbiosis of surrealism and pop art, inspired by the intense colours of the Australian landscape and the rich tradition of Aboriginal art. In his artistic expression, he gives everyday objects such as fruit or animals a new, often humorous and profound meaning.

A central motif in Spence’s works are spirals, which run through his paintings and symbolise the rhythms of life and the connection between all things. These dynamic forms are reminiscent of sacred sites in Aboriginal culture and capture the essence of growth, change and creativity. Spence calls his style ‘expansionism’ – an artistic philosophy that aims to explore the energetic connections in nature and between people.

For Rob Spence, art is a transformative medium. He wants to make his viewers not only think, but also smile by injecting lightness and joy into the creative process – a feeling that his audience also recognises from the world of comedy.

‘Art should strike an emotional chord,’ emphasises Spence. ‘A painting must be captivating and tell a story that transports the viewer to another world.’ With his vibrant, colourful creations, he aims to raise awareness of the deep connections between people and nature and remind us that creativity and imagination are infinite.