Gyz La Rivière

video , comics/cartoons , social , Publication , Media , international , installation , History , movie ,Experimental , Conceptual , collage , Audiovisual , Artistic research , Archives

Gyz La Rivière (Rotterdam, 1976) is an artist, filmmaker, researcher and writer. He approaches his work as an idiosyncratic image archivist, combining images he himself creates with in-depth archival research, objects he finds on the street, loans from collections, infographics, logos, icons and stories. The dazzling Gyzian universe he forges from these various sources sharpens our view of the world around us in unexpected ways.

Gyz La Rivière studied fashion design at the Willem de Kooning Academy. In 2000, he graduated as the first student in the history of his school without a collection. In 2002, he was awarded the Rotterdam Maaskant Prize. In 2011, he received 'The Praise of Folly' Honorary Pin from the Comité Erasmus and in early 2013 he won the Dolf Henkes Prize for iconic Rotterdam-based artists. Also in 2013, he directed 'Rotterdam 2040' and in 2020 the film 'New Neapolis', followed in 2023 by 'Malin TV'. He also published several books and zines, including most recently 'Het telephone booth book of Rotterdam' (2022) and Brooklyn (2024). His last recent feature-length film is 'Videotheek Marco' (2025) about video rental stores.

Video library Marco
Videotheek Marco - 96 mins. / a Gyz La Rivière film / 2025 (trailer 1:55 mins.)
AI
A.I. - Artificial Intelligence / neon light / 50 cm. × 10 cm. / 2024
Protest boxes
Protestdozen - installation (detail) / HOK Gallery, The Hague (solo show) / 2023
Malin TV - 93 mins. / a Gyz La Rivière film / 2023 (trailer 2.25 mins.)
Colour Bars - installation, 2021 / 445 cm x approx. 285 cm / This installation consists of approximately 2000 films on video (mainly VHS). / photo: Kiki Petratou
The Party is over - objet trouvé, 2012 / group exhibition: 'Dolf Henkesprijs 2012', TENT, Rotterdam / photo: Job Janssen
New World Order - objet trouvé, 2020 / 'objects in mirror are closer than they appear' series, 2018-2020
Road to Nowhere - mixed media, 2017 / 110 x 110 cm / photo: Ossip van Duivenbode
New Neapolis - 106 mins. / a Gyz La Rivière film / 2020 (trailer 1.34 mins.) / 'New Neapolis bomber jacket', 2019 / solo exhibition: 'New Neapolis', TENT, Rotterdam (2020) / photo: Aad Hoogendoorn
Hot Dog? - neon light, 2012 / 126 cm x 49 cm / photo (detail): Job Janssen
Westworld - mixed media, 2019 / 50 cm x 38 cm / photo: Ossip van Duivenbode
Rotterdam 2040 - film, 95 min. (2013) / 1st screening Rotterdam 2040 premiere / Theater De Gouvernestraat / photo: Aad Hoogendoorn
Rhythm - mixed media, 2018 / 115 cm x 97 cm / photo: Ossip van Duivenbode