Rhys Himsworth is an artist whose practice bridges analog and digital media through painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and installation. His work addresses surveillance, authorship, the post-natural, and geopolitical, often repurposing obsolete electronics and e-waste to create hybrid forms that blur the physical and discarnate.
He earned his BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins (2003) and his MA in Printmaking from the Royal College of Art (2009). His work has been exhibited internationally including at the National Museum of Wales, Royal Academy (London), Kunsthalle Rostock, Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin), Reynolds Gallery (Richmond, VA), Katara Art Center (Doha), India Art Fair (New Delhi), CICA Museum (Seoul), Noise: New Media Art (Istanbul), and Galerie Pada (Lisbon).
Himsworth has presented his research and practice at institutions including The Art Institute of Chicago, Tyler School of Art (Philadelphia), Virginia Commonwealth University, Emily Carr University (Vancouver), The British Computer Society (London), Sungkyul University (Seoul), Sapienza University of Rome, Weill Cornell Qatar, Central Saint Martins (London), and the University of São Paulo. From 2016–2018, he served on the board of the Southern Graphics Council.
From 2011–2018 he was Associate Professor and Director of Painting and Printmaking at VCUarts Qatar, where he co-founded Fanoon: Center for Printmedia Research. His work has been featured in The Guardian, Financial Times, Art in Print, and several academic publications.
Awards include the Conran Foundation Award, Arts Council of Wales, Qatar National Research Fund, and Wales Arts International. He is represented by BBA Gallery, Berlin.
My research is situated at the intersection of art, science, and technology, and is grounded in a laboratory-based studio practice that develops new methods and materials within print media. In my research Print functions as a critical point of intersection — a synaptic link between disciplines — that enables collaboration with engineers, computer scientists, chemists, and nanotechnologists in the production of artworks.
A central strand of this research involves dismantling obsolete machines and discarded electronics in order to extract and reprocess the rare earth elements they contain. These materials are transformed into pigments, printing grounds, sculptural surfaces, or 3D printing filament, thereby generating hybrid works that collapse the boundaries between image and matter, and between temporal and ethereal. This material-led inquiry reflects on the environmental and psychological consequences of technological consumption, particularly the demand for instant data and constant connectivity.
My practice also investigates the infrastructures that underpin contemporary technologies — server farms, logistics centres, and recycling hubs — by intentionally mirroring techno-capitalist practices within artistic production. Through this methodology, my work seeks to render visible the otherwise obscured circuits of global trade, communication, and consumerism, and the geopolitical power structures they underpin.
By reuniting electronic waste with imagery of landscapes marked by extraction, the practice foregrounds the material and cultural afterlives of technology. The use of discarded machines and utilitarian devices — from dot-matrix printers and repurposed laser jets to crushed cell phones — introduces an aesthetic of the obsolete, one that both critiques and reanimates the detritus of techno-feudalism.
This research, positioned between alchemy and ritual, contributes to discourses on sustainable practice, post-digital printmaking, and the critical examination of technological systems. It aims to extend the role of print as a platform for interdisciplinary inquiry while offering new perspectives on the relationship between matter, media, and the historical infrastructures that shape the contemporary.
Selected Funded Projects Include-
Wales Arts International
VCU Presidential Research Quest Fund
National Priorities Research Program (NPRP)- Qatar National Research Fund
Undergraduate Research Experience Program (UREP)- Qatar National Research Fund
At the core of my teaching in print media is the belief that students should develop the initiative, confidence, and ambition to thrive in an unpredictable future. As technologies and theories evolve rapidly, I encourage students to question their role within this changing landscape and to cultivate the adaptability needed to shape it.
My teaching begins with a strong emphasis on technical skill and theory, ensuring students build an intuitive foundation and respect for materials. This grounding enables them to approach diverse media with confidence and flexibility, supporting transdisciplinary and experimental practices.
As students progress, I foster more open, research-led and process-based approaches, encouraging them to experiment, challenge conventions, and develop personal methodologies. At advanced levels, I guide students through independent projects and exhibitions, mentoring them according to their individual interests. Many have gone on to residencies, international exhibitions, and postgraduate study, a testament to the independence and resilience they develop in the studio.
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