SUMMER PRELUDE 2026

June 22 - 25, Hydra Island Greece

ROB PRUITT

American Post Conceptual Artist

ArtCinema welcomes Rob Pruitt as our June residency & exhition artist, curated by Eric Shiner in collaboration with New York’s Powerhouse Arts.

Rob Pruitt is a renowned Post-Pop artist whose work blends pop culture and high art to create sharp social commentary on subjects including consumerism, celebrity, gender politics, and youth culture. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1964, Pruitt studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design and Parsons School of Design before rising to prominence in New York’s contemporary art scene in his twenties.

Over the past three decades, Pruitt has developed a distinctive body of work spanning painting, installation, sculpture, and performance — often balancing provocation, humour, and aesthetic beauty. His practice has consistently explored the intersection of art, commerce, identity, and cultural mythology.

ROB PRUITT’S HYDRA PROJECT IN THREE PARTS:

Opening on June 23 will be the exhibition Rob Pruitt’s Beauty Salon. Housed in a corner store in the port of Hydra, Pruitt will be present on the opening day to cut hair and paint finger nails. Proceeds for his services will also be donated to help establish a veterinary clinic for the cats of Hydra.
On display in the exhibition space will be two new, site-specific painting projects. Gradient paintings of the Aegean sea and sky are flanked by operational shutters, painted in the traditional architectural trim colors of Hydra. Drawings of pandas rendered in a story book style tell the story of Rob and his partner Jonathan Horowitz’s travels to Hydra with their dachshund Gilda. Also included in the exhibition are four sculptures of cats, one named Leonard, after the luminary Hydra resident, Leonard Cohen. Each cat is cast in a different material, camouflaged into the environment, much like the actual cats of Hydra. “Cats are like living sculptures,” says Pruitt, “quietly activating every space they inhabit.”
ArtCinema is pleased to present Rob Pruitt’s Hydra Flea Market (23/6) at the landmark Historical Archives Museum of Hydra. Scheduled to coincide with the Deste Foundation’s annual June events, the project brings together more than 30 local and international artists. Taking the form of a traditional open-air bazaar, Rob Pruitt’s Flea Market is an opportunity to meet artists, make friends, score a vintage find, or even take home an original artwork. With a diverse array of goods ranging from vinyl records, t-shirts, paintings and sculptures, visitors can expect bartering and haggling and a festive night of entertainment. Irish Musician AM Shanley will be dropping by and performing a set, as well as Greek bouzouki virtuoso Michael Paouris. The Flea market will raise funds for local arts and film education, residency grants, and the establishment of a much needed veterinary clinic on Hydra to support the island’s population of stray cats.

Pruitt became widely recognised in 2000 for his iconic series of panda paintings, which evolved into one of the defining motifs of his career. In the years that followed, his practice expanded into large-scale public works and immersive installations.

Among his most celebrated public artworks is The Andy Monument, a 10-foot-tall sculpture of Andy Warhol that originally stood in New York’s Union Square, near the site of Warhol’s Factory. The work now resides in the Aventura Arts Collection at Aventura Mall in Miami.

Reflecting on the piece, Pruitt shared with the Public Art Fund:

“Like so many other artists and performers and people who don’t fit in because they’re gay or otherwise different, Andy moved here to become who he was, to fulfill his dreams and make it big. He still represents that courage and that possibility. That’s why I came to New York, and that’s what my Andy Monument is about.”

During his June residency on Hydra, Pruitt will present a series of community-focused artistic exhibitions, interventions and conversations as part of ArtCinema’s June programme, alongside his exhibition and Flea Market concept, which invites the local community to actively participate in the creative process and wider cultural dialogue.