For his first major solo exhibition in Wales, Leo Robinson, presents oracles, musical scores and objects that explore a speculative future. In this, new belief systems for the cultivation of self-knowledge have been rebuilt and reimagined, as an act of healing, from the destructive legacies of colonialism. Drawing on his study and use of the divination method of I Ching*, Robinson’s rich world-building imagines a post-diasporic future in which ancient cosmologies and indigenous knowledge systems have informed and evolved new rituals and practices that guide spiritual journeys of transformation.  

Robinson’s artworks take the forms of paintings, sculptures and collages that include found objects and images alongside instructive texts and musical notations. The ephemera of contemporary culture including Pokémon cards, children’s stickers and printed images from Instagram and TikTok feeds feature across the works, grounding them in a near-distant future. 

Central to the exhibition is Robinson’s symbolist language which recurs throughout the works: the net, the flame, the blooming flower, the primate, the vessel, the cross, and variations play out in an endless psychodrama. Within each work lies the potential for transformation from one psychological state to the next, yet the path is not always clear. Robinson’s work asks us to be open to the power and potential of ritual-making to make sense of our inner worlds and the world around us.  

The exhibition is accompanied by a new essay by performance artist and writer, Joseph Morgan Schofield.

To support access to exhibitions at Chapter we provide transcripts of film and audio works, large print exhibition guides, seating and magnifying glasses.  

Image: Untitled (cleansing ritual), Leo Robinson, Watercolour, collage, indian ink, thermal printed photograph, pencil on paper, 2022. Courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary

* The I Ching is a book of oracles used for divination, in which the totality of the cosmos is represented. It is a method of exploring the unconscious; through the symbolism of its hexagrams we are guided towards the solution of difficult problems and life situations. It is also a book of great wisdom, revealing the laws of life to which we must all attune ourselves if we are to live in peace and harmony. 

'The I Ching', or 'Book of Changes', a common source for both Confucianist and Taoist philosophy, is one of the first efforts of the human mind to place itself within the universe. It has exerted a living influence in China for 3,000 years, as well as influencing artists and thinkers around the world following a number of 20th Century translations.  

About the Artist

Leo Robinson is an artist and musician living and working in Glasgow. His artistic practice runs parallel to his explorations in spirituality and self-discovery. Recent solo exhibitions include ‘Theories for Cosmic Joy’, Tiwani Contemporary, 2019. Group exhibitions include ‘To The Edge of Time’, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, ‘Antechamber’, Quench, Margate, UK, ‘Bathing Nervous Limbs’, Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh, UK, ‘tender spots in hard code…’, Arebyte, London, UK (all 2021) and ‘Talking Back’, Holden Gallery, Manchester, UK (2019). 

Leo Robinson: The Infinity Card is generously supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland and Tiwani Contemporary.  

Download the Exhibition Handout here.

Download an essay by Joseph Morgan Schofield here.

Leo Robinson: Events Programme: An events programme accompanies Leo Robinson’s solo exhibition, The Infinity Card, on at Chapter Gallery until 16 April 2023. These films and events immerse you in Afrofuturism, ritual practices, non-linear time and altered psychological states – asserting different ways to reimagine our pasts and futures