Robert Takahashi Crouch is an artist and curator whose work encompasses sound, performance, and technology. As an artist, he locates his work with the intersection of post-phenomenological listening practices, conceptual sound art, and contemporary electronic music. At its core, his work can be understood as a conversation between tonality, context, history and subjectivities. Similarly, Crouch’s curatorial work focuses on the overlapping disciplines of sound, technology, movement, and performance.

In 2014 he organized the North American premiere of Sphæræ, a large-scale inflatable performance space and public artwork by Dutch artist Cocky Eek. In 2017 he co-curated Juan Downey: Radiant Nature, a survey of early interactive and performance work of the late Chilean artist as part of the Getty initiative, Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA.

Crouch is the former Associate Director/Curator at LACE, where he curated solo exhibitions with artists Karen Lofgren, Gina Osterloh, Steve Roden, Sean Sullivan, and Margo Victor, and performances with artists including William Basinski, Celer, Lawrence English, Dominick Fernow, and Yann Marussich. He is also the founding partner of VOLUME, a curatorial project that functions as a catalyst for interdisciplinary new media work through exhibitions, performances, events, lectures, and publications, and has worked with a wide range of artists including William Basinski, Nate Boyce, Frank Bretschneider, Richard Chartier, Heather Cassils, Celer, Loren Chasse, William Fowler Collins, Tim Hecker, Isis, France Jobin, Kadet Kuhne, Lucky Dragons, Mamiffer, Carsten Nicolai, Yann Novak, taisha paggett, Steve Roden, Terre Thaemlitz, Julie Tolentino, and Christopher Willits.

Crouch is currently the Executive and Artistic Director for Fulcrum Arts and the Artistic Director for the A×S Festival.

Robert Crouch is published by Touch Music.

Born: Vandenburg Air Force Base, CA, 1969
Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA

Exhibitions

2017
  • The Future Eve, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
2016
  • Robert Crouch + Lauren Marsolier, VOLUME at South of Sunset, Los Angeles CA
2013
  • A Strong Hand That Nonetheless Gets You Nowhere; Kunsthalle Galapagos, Brooklyn, NY
2012
  • Threshold; Studio Sereno, Los Angeles, CA
  • Sublimation; Oboro, Montreal, QC
  • Render – New Construction in Video Art; California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA
2011
  • Re/Flux; ICA, London, UK
  • Unpunished; Sue Scott Gallery, New York, NY
2010
  • International Mail Art Exhibition; Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA
  • Untitled Landscape; PØST, Los Angeles, CA
2009
  • Exquisite Corpse, or, The Show That Curates Itself; Mihai Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008
  • Dusk Cradle (Composed sound piece commissioned by Karen Lofgren); Los Angeles, CA
  • The Guys I Would Fuck; Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY
2006
  • The Bleeding Edge Festival (Composed sound piece commissioned by Karen Lofgren); Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA
2004
  • High Desert Test Site 4 (Composed sound piece commissioned by Karen Lofgren); 29 Palms, CA
2003
  • Ten by Twenty (Collaboration with Nayland Blake); Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
  • Close; The Wedge, Los Angeles, CA
1999
  • The Manchurian Candidate; 90 Paris House, London, U.K.
  • Homeless; Mota Gallery, London, U.K.
1998
  • Imaginary Friend; Rupert Goldsworthy Gallery, New York, NY
  • All You Can Eat; Upstairs at the Market Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1997
  • Attaché; Gemini GEL, Los Angeles, CA
  • Blind Date; Los Angeles, CA
  • MFA Thesis Exhibition; California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
  • The Shooting Gallery; LACE, Los Angeles, CA
1995
  • Wildside; LACE, Los Angeles, CA 1994
  • Landlord; The Thing, New York, NY
  • Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY
1993
  • Lookout Sculpture Park; Damascus, PA
  • The Life Center; San Francisco, CA
  • Outdoor Sculpture ‘93; New York, NY

Performances

2017
  • The Future Eve; Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
  • Lawrence English, Robert Crouch, and Ashley Bellouin; PØST at the Bendix Building, Los Angeles, CA
  • Soundpedro: Atlas Place sound art performances; Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA
2016
  • Hauser, Wirth & Schimmel, Los Angeles, CA
  • Non Plus Ultra, Los Angeles, CA
  • Spectrum (with Yann Novak); Monkeytown, Los Angeles, CA
  • mas gestos y mas caras (with Rafa Esparza and Yann Novak)l; The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2015
  • fadeinfadeout; Los Angeles, CA
  • Robert Crouch: being-honeyed, i,ii-xi, a talk series; Los Angeles, CA
  • Robert Crouch, Marc Kate, Virons; Mata Noise, Los Angeles, CA
  • Nameless Sound; Houston, TX
  • Needle, Santiago, Chile
  • Chapel Performance Space, Seattle. WA
  • Leaven Community Centre, Portland, OR
  • Land & Sea, Oakland, CA
2014
  • Drive Your Cart And Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead; San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco CA
  • Process(ion)X; The Church of the Epiphany, Los Angeles CA
2013
  • Re:Sound II; Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
  • UNISOUND; Public Fiction, Los Angeles, CA
2012
  • The Quick and The Dead, Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
  • Fata Morgana (with Yann Novak), Ear Meal on LA Art Stream, Los Angeles, CA
  • Re:Sound; Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
  • SIX ; Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland OR
  • The City as Metaphor: Three Artists from Los Angeles; Chapel Performance Space, Seattle WA
  • Sublimation; Oboro, Montreal, QC
  • California College of the Arts
2011
  • AxS Festival: FIRE AND WATER; Art Center College of Design, Wind Tunnel Gallery, Pasadena CA
  • Non Sequitur; The Stone, New York NY
  • Together: A Showcase of Rising Talents in Los Angeles Performance Art; Garboushian Gallery, Beverly Hills CA
  • Somatic Sensor; Highways Performance Space, Santa Monica CA
2010
  • Music for Restaurants; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA
  • Houseplant Vacation; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
  • Untitled Performance; Ear Meal on LA Art Stream, Los Angeles, CA

Curatorial Projects

2018
  • AxS Festival, Pasadena, CA (in progress)
2017
  • Driftworks: An Evening of Collaborative Soundscapes; Desert X at the ACE Hotel, Palm Springs, CA
  • Distance Information; Pitzer College Art Gallery, Claremont, CA
  • Why We Listen with Nayland Blake, ICA LA, Los Angeles, CA
  • Juan Downey: Radiant Nature; LACE and Pitzer College Art Gallery, Los Angeles CA
2016
  • William Basinski + Chris Oliveria + Steve Roden; VOLUME & South of Sunset, Los Angeles, CA
  • Johanna Breiding + Geneva Skeen: Field Variations; VOLUME & South of Sunset, Los Angeles, CA
  • Touch Conference, Los Angeles, CA
  • Sebastian Meissner and Emily Hochman: Goulden; VOLUME & South of Sunset, Los Angeles, CA
  • Tad Beck + taisha paggett + Yann Novak; VOLUME & South of Sunset, Los Angeles, CA
  • Phill Niblock & Carl Stone; Human Resources, CA
2015
  • Terre Thaemlitz: Soulnessless: Cantos I-IV & Félix Solano Vargas: Crunchy Eggs; Human Resources, Los Angeles CA
  • Mamiffer, William Fowler Collins & Jon Mueller; Mata Noise, Los Angeles CA
  • M. Lamar: Surveillance Punishment and the Black Psyche; Human Resources, Los Angeles CA
  • Resonant Forms; LACE, Los Angeles CA
  • School for the Movement of the Technicolor People; LACE, Los Angeles CA (in progress)
  • Terre Thaemlitz: Secrecy Wave Manifesto; VOLUME at South of Sunset, Los Angeles CA
2014
  • Have At It; Honor Fraser, Culver City CA
  • Aki Onda; (the) Handbag Factory, Los Angeles CA
  • AxS Festival; Pasadena CA
  • AG Geige: Ein Amateurfilm screening + Q&A with Frank Bretschneider; Goethe-Institut, Los Angeles CA
  • Frank Bretschneider: Sinn + Form; Human Resources, Los Angeles CA
2013
  • Immersound; Human Resources, Los Angeles CA
  • Medium; Night Gallery, Los Angeles CA
2012
  • Semiconductor; Aurora Picture Show, Houston, TX
  • A Slow Unraveling, Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
  • Gina Osterloh: Group Dynamics and Improper Light; LACE, Los Angeles, CA
  • Steve Roden: Shells, Bells, Steps and Silences; LACE Los Angeles, CA
2011
  • Margie Livingston: Twenty Gallons, LACE, Los Angeles, CA
  • Sean Sullivan: Grand Pale Maw; LACE, Los Angeles, CA
  • Margo Victor: Black Flower; LACE, Los Angeles, CA
2010
  • from one side to the other, I’ve seen that too.; 323 Gallery; Los Angeles, CA
  • Karen Lofgren: Signs Point to Yes; LACE, Los Angeles, CA
  • Electronic Cinema; ATA, San Francisco, CA
  • rE/Visioning the Collection; DeYoung Museum, San Francisco CA
  • PERFORM! NOW!; Los Angeles, CA
  • Presence; Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
  • Closer 104.7; LACE at the Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, CA
2009
  • domizil and ICST Zurich; San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, and LACE, Los Angeles, CA
  • Resonant Forms, LACE, Hollywood, CA
2008
  • Listen/Vision, San Francisco, CA & New York, NY
  • Restless Brilliance, The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2007
  • Restless Brilliance; The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2006
  • The Bleeding Edge Festival; Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA
2005
  • Visual Music: SEE HEAR NOW!; The Museum of Contemporary Art and REDCAT Theater, Los Angeles, CA
2004
  • Immersion at MOCA; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
1999
  • Re-Mix; Popular Mechanics @ 1970 N. Bronson Ave., Hollywood, CA
1997
  • Hollywood Premiere; Popular Mechanics @ The Hollywood Premiere Motel, Los Angeles, CA
1995
  • Prosthetic; PUSH! Artspace, San Francisco, CA

Publication & Catalogues

  • Blind Date, California Institute of the Arts (1998).
  • Juan Downey: Radiant Nature, Pitzer College Art Galleries and LACE (2017).
  • Top Ten, Art Workers Press, (2005).
  • Turning Ten, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (2003).
  • Steve Roden: Vester Fields, Volume Edition 01 (2008).

Bibliography

  • Auerbach, Lisa Anne. “Site Specifics: Artists rent motel rooms. And visit the zoo.” Los Angeles Weekly, Vol. 19, No. 45 (October 3-9, 1997), pp. 45.
  • Baker, Kenneth. “It’s 50-50 whether ‘Ten by Twenty’ paints clear picture.” San Francisco Chronicle, November 15, 2003.
  • Haynes, Jim. “Accepted Eclectic.” San Jose Metro, Vol. 22, No. 23 (August 9-15, 2006), pp. 72.
  • Herbert, Martin. “Homeless.” Time Out, No. 1484 (Jan. 27-Feb. 3, 1999), pp. 47.
  • Hubby, Tyler. “Pump up the Volume.” Artillery, Vol. 2., No. 5 (May-June 2008), pp. 38.
  • Kava, Brad. “Cutting Through the Edge.” San Jose Mercury News, August 10, 2006, Eye supplement pp. 6-8.
  • Mizota, Sharon. “The Quixotic Videos of Steve Roden.” KCET Artbound (July 3, 2012), http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/the-quixotic-videos-of-steve-roden.html.
  • Mizota, Sharon. “The Space Between: Gina Osterloh’s “Shadow” Residency at LACE.” KCET Artbound (August 6, 2012), http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/the-space-between-gina-osterlohs-shadow-residency-at-lace.html.
  • Myles, Eileen. “Ann Carter and Robert Crouch in LIC.” Art in America, Vol. 83, No. 4 (April, 1995), pp. 113-114.
  • Tewksbury, Drew. “A Conversation On Sound With Isis’ Aaron Turner, William Fowler Collins, Artist Steve Roden, and Curator Robert Crouch.” KCET Artbound (September 12, 2012), http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/los-angeles/a-slow-unraveling.html.
  • Westbrook, Lindsey. “’Ten by Twenty’ at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.” Artweek, Vol. 35, No. 1 (February, 2004), pp. 15-16.

Education

1997
California Institute of the Arts, Master of Fine Arts, School of Art
1995
San Francisco Art Institute, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Department of Photography