Gavin Rain

Gavin Rain (b. 1971, Cape Town) is a South African artist renowned for his distinctive Neo-Pointillist style. Initially drawn to architecture, Rain pursued art and neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town, merging his interests in art and mathematics. By 2004, he had developed his Neo-Pointillism approach, creating vibrant portraits composed of thousands of colored dots. Up close, each painting appears as an abstract arrangement of concentric circles, but from a distance, these dots merge, revealing intricate portraits that challenge viewers’ perceptions.

Rain begins each piece with a sketched portrait outline, then applies dots using a painstakingly crafted grid or projection to position them precisely. With a database of 14,000 dots, he meticulously selects colors and sizes to manipulate light and shadow, allowing individual dots and clusters to form new shades and tonal depth. The technique's result is a visually dynamic effect, encouraging viewers to engage from multiple perspectives.

Notable exhibitions include the 54th Venice Biennale, where he represented the Republic of Costa Rica with a portrait of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and in 2013, he exhibited "Lena" in the Republic of Bangladesh’s pavilion. Rain’s work invites viewers to experience the interplay of detail and distance, broadening both visual and cognitive horizons.