Rodney McMillian addresses intersections of power, race, class, and culture in paintings, sculptures, installations, and video. Reflecting the conviction that history is always present, McMillian explores the impacts of historical events on policy, the effects of politics on the body, and the experience of class and race in contemporary U.S. society. He uses political texts and found, often domestic, materials such as house paint, cast-off furniture, and thrifted bedsheets, among others, to create works that address political urgencies. He has recently focused on landscape paintings where the bedding becomes a conceptual placeholder for absent bodies. As such, McMillian reviews the history of landscape painting and suggests a direct relationship between the landscape and the body—a relationship ripe with historical and political connections.
McMillian was born in 1969 in Columbia, South Carolina, and lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. He received an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 2002. McMillian has had seven exhibitions at Vielmetter Los Angeles, with the most recent on view until October 21, 2023. McMillian was included in the 2022 Whitney Biennale, Quiet as It’s Kept, curated by David Breslin and Adrienne Edwards; the 2021 Prospect.5 New Orleans: Yesterday You Said Tomorrow, curated by Naima Keith and Diana Nawi; and he was included in the 2008 Whitney Biennale. In 2020, the artist had a solo exhibition, Historically Hostile at the Blaffer Museum in Houston, Texas. In 2019, McMillian had solo exhibitions at the Underground Museum in Los Angeles, Videos at the Black Show and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, New Work: Rodney McMillian. He received the Contemporary Austin’s first Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize in 2016, and the resulting solo exhibition Against a Civic Death was on view in 2018. In 2016, McMillian had solo exhibitions at the ICA Philadelphia, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and MoMA PS.1. Each of these exhibitions highlighted a particular set of material and conceptual concerns in McMillian’s multivalent practice. The MoMA PS.1 exhibition, Landscape Paintings originated at the Aspen Art Museum, Colorado in 2015 and was curated by Heidi Zuckerman. McMillian’s work was featured in the 2015 Sharjah Biennial, curated by Eungie Joo.
His work has also been included in group exhibitions at The National Portrait Gallery, London, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA; the CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco, CA; the Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo, Norway; The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; The Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia; the Contemporary Art Museum Houston; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art among many others. His work is included in the collections of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Stadtisches Museum Abteiberg, Monchengladbach, Germany; and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.
![This image depicts an artwork by Rodney McMillian titled "Untitled (orange sunset)." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 55" x 73" [HxW] (139.7 x 185.42 cm). Its medium is Latex, acrylic on blanket.](https://vielmetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rodney-McMillian_MCR469_1715798090-1024x768.jpg)
"Untitled (orange sunset)," 2024
“Untitled (orange sunset),” 2024
Latex, acrylic on blanket
55" x 73" [HxW] (139.7 x 185.42 cm)
Inventory #MCR469
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Brica Wilcox
![This image depicts an artwork by Rodney McMillian titled "Untitled (Red Swirl)." This artwork was created in 2023 and measures 98" x 62" [HxW] (248.92 x 157.48 cm). Its medium is Latex and acrylic on bedsheet.](https://vielmetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Rodney-McMillian_MCR459_1697309525-750x1024.jpg)
"Untitled (Red Swirl)," 2023
“Untitled (Red Swirl),” 2023
Latex and acrylic on bedsheet
98" x 62" [HxW] (248.92 x 157.48 cm)
Inventory #MCR459
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Brica Wilcox
![This image depicts an artwork by Rodney McMillian titled "Purple Sky (For Roy Ayers)." This artwork was created in 2022-2023 and measures 103" x 67" [HxW] (261.62 x 170.18 cm). Its medium is Latex and acrylic on bedsheet.](https://vielmetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rodney-McMillian_MCR458_1715798149-768x1024.jpg)
"Purple Sky (For Roy Ayers)," 2022-2023
“Purple Sky (For Roy Ayers),” 2022-2023
Latex and acrylic on bedsheet
103" x 67" [HxW] (261.62 x 170.18 cm)
Inventory #MCR458
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Brica Wilcox
![This image depicts an artwork by Rodney McMillian titled "Heavy Orange Sun." This artwork was created in 2022 and measures 67 ¹⁄₂" x 67" [HxW] (171.45 x 170.18 cm). Its medium is Latex and acrylic on black and red quilt.](https://vielmetter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Rodney-McMillian_MCR451_1715798109-849x1024.jpg)
"Heavy Orange Sun", 2022
“Heavy Orange Sun,” 2022
Latex and acrylic on black and red quilt
67 ¹⁄₂" x 67" [HxW] (171.45 x 170.18 cm)
Inventory #MCR451
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Brica Wilcox

“Sun with landscape,” 2021
“Sun with landscape,” 2021
Latex, acrylic and ink on bedsheet
97" x 71" x 3" [HxWxD] (246.38 x 180.34 x 7.62 cm)
Inventory #MCR420
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Jeff McLane

“Untitled (For Dr. Reagan McDonald-Mosley),” 2021
“Untitled (For Dr. Reagan McDonald-Mosley),” 2021
Ink, latex, acrylic, graphite, and vinyl on paper
51" x 83" [HxW] (129.54 x 210.82 cm)
Inventory #MCR421
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Brica Wilcox

“Untitled (entrails),” 2019-2020
“Untitled (entrails),” 2019-2020
Fabric, chicken wire, acrylic, and meat hooks
9' 10" x 22 ¹⁄₂" x 52 ¹⁄₂" [HxWxD] (299.72 x 57.15 x 133.35 cm)
Inventory #MCR401
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Jeff Mclane

“Between the sun and the moon (For H. A. Washington),” 2020
“Between the sun and the moon (For H. A. Washington),” 2020
Graphite, ink acrylic, latex, and vinyl on paper mounted on canvas
53" x 56 ¹⁄₂" [HxW] (134.62 x 143.51 cm)
Inventory #MCR409
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Jeff Mclane

“In This Land,” 2019
“In This Land,” 2019
Latex, acrylic paint, ink, and paper on duck cloth; PA speakers and stand with sound, 20 min
14.5 x 87.5' [HxW] (4.42 x 26.67 m)
Inventory #MCR376
Commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Katherine Du Tiel

“Untitled (sac) III,” 2018
“Untitled (sac) III,” 2018
Vinyl, thread, and carpet
70" x 40" x 19" [HxWxD] (177.8 x 101.6 x 48.26 cm)
Inventory #MCR394
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Jeff McLane

“White House Painting,” 2018
“White House Painting,” 2018
Thread and vinyl + Edition #1 of "untitled (neighbors)"
13' x 42' 4" [HxW] (396.24 x 1,290.32 cm)
Inventory #MCR355
Commissioned by the Contemporary Austin, with funds provided by the Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Colin Doyle

“untitled (peach afghan),” 2019
“untitled (peach afghan),” 2019
Latex, ink on blanket
Approx. 51 x 64" [HxW] (129.54 x 162.56 cm)
Inventory #MCR382
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Dawn Blackman

“shelf #22,” 2017
“shelf #22,” 2017
Vases, wood shelves, and spray paint
30.5 x 28" [HxW] (77.47 x 71.12 cm) shelf dimension; 7.75" [H] (19.68 cm) tallest vase height
Inventory #MCR366
Commissioned by the Contemporary Austin, with funds provided by the Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize. Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles

“From Asterisks in Dockery,” 2012
“From Asterisks in Dockery,” 2012
Vinyl, thread, wood, paint, and lightbulb
Dimensions variable, approximately 18' L x 15 1/2' W x 15' H
Inventory #MCR260
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Brian Forrest

“Untitled (flag IV),” 2012
“Untitled (flag IV),” 2012
Burlap, thread, plaster and latex
80" H x 169" W (203.2 cm H x 429.26 cm W)
Inventory #MCR267
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Robert Wedemeyer

“Succulent,” 2010
“Succulent,” 2010
Vinyl and thread
14' x 27' 6" [HxW] (426.72 x 838.2 cm)
Inventory #MCR221
Courtesy of the artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Robert Wedemeyer

“Unknown #29,” 2006
“Unknown #29,” 2006
C-print
39" x 31" [HxW] (99.06 x 78.73 cm) framed
unique
Inventory #MCR184
Courtesy of artist and Vielmetter Los Angeles
Photo credit: Jeff McLane
- 1969
- Born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA
- 2002
- MFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
- 2000
- Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Presidential Scholar
- 1998
- BFA Program, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- 1991
- BA Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- 2024
- "The Land: Not Without a Politic," Marta Herford Museum for Art, Architecture and Design, Herford, Germany
- 2023
- "Landscape in Red," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- 2022-2023
- "Regarding Violence," Petzel Gallery, New York, NY (Link)
- 2020
- “Body Politic,” Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- “Historically Hostile,” Blaffer Museum of Art, Houston, TX
- "Recirculating Goods," Petzel Gallery, New York, NY
- 2019
- “Rodney McMillian: Videos from The Black Show,” Underground Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- "New Work: Rodney McMillian," San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
- 2018
- "Against a Civic Death," The Contemporary Austin, Austin, TX (Link)
- 2017
- “Rodney McMillian: a great society,” Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (Link)
- 2016
- "Chisholm’s reverb," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA
- "Views of Main Street," Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (Link)
- "New Media Series: Rodney McMillian," St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
- “The Black Show,” Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (Link)
- 2015
- "Landscape Paintings," Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO; traveling to MoMA PS1, New York, NY (Link)
- 2013
- "Against a Civic Death: an overture", Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA
- 2012
- "Prospect Ave.", Maccarone Gallery, New York, NY
- 2010
- "Succulent," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA; Inaugural Exhibition
- 2009
- "Sentimental Disappointment, Momentum 14: Rodney McMillian," Project series, The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Boston, MA
- "rodney mcmillian," haubrok foundation, Berlin, Germany
- 2008
- "International Artist-in-Residence New Works 08.1," Artpace, San Antonio, TX; curated by Franklin Sirmans
- The Kitchen, New York, NY; curated by Rashida Bumbray
- 2007
- "Jutta Koether / Rodney McMillian," Susanne Vielmetter Berlin Projects, Berlin, Germany
- Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, NAK, Aachen, Germany
- Adamski Galerie, Aachen, Germany
- 2006
- "Odes," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA
- ArtNova solo presentation, Art Basel Miami Beach, with Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects
- 2005
- "Untitled (ellipses) III," Triple Candie, New York, NY
- "Rodney McMillian: Untitled," Galleria Estro, Padua, Italy
- 2004
- "on comfort," Gallery Adamski, Aachen, Germany
- 2003
- "Untitled (ellipses) II," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA
- 2002
- "Untitled," Finesilver Gallery, San Antonio, TX
- "Untitled (...on love)," Gallery A-402, Valencia, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2025
- "Master Class: Inside the Last American Museum School with SAIC Painting Alumni," Secrist Beach, Chicago, IL (forthcoming)
- 2024
- "RETROaction," Curated by Kate Fowle in collaboration with Homi K Bhabha, Charles Gaines, and Ellen Tani, Hauser and Wirth, Los Angeles, CA
- 2023-2024
- "de montañas submarinas el fuego hace islas," KADIST, San Francisco, CA
- "The 14th Shanghai Biennale: Cosmos Cinema," Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
- 2023
- "Affective Resistance," University of Irvine, Irvine, CA
- "Customs Cars Cultures," UncleBrother, Hancock, NY
- "The Collection," Haubrok Foundation, Fahrbereitschaft, Berlin, Germany
- "Together in Time: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection," Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- "Re-Materialized: The Stuff that Matters," kaufmann repetto, New York, NY
- "Old Wounds, Dark Dreams," Art Galleries at Black Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
- "13 Women: Variation II," Curated by Heidi Zuckerman, Orange County Museum of Art, Santa Ana, CA
- "It's Time," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- 2022
- "Black Sounds Project," Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO
- "Plants Now!" Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- "2022 Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts," American Academy of Art and Letters, New York City, NY
- "Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet as It’s Kept," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- "Dustress Tolerance," Hessel Museum of Art, Bard College, Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
- "The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA
- "Nocturnal," Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
- 2021-2022
- "Prospect.5: Yesterday we said tomorrow," The Hancock Whitney Welcome Center, New Orleans, LA
- "The Dirty South: Contemporary Art, Material Culture, and the Sonic Impulse," Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Houston, TX
- 2021
- "Time-Slip," Petzel Gallery, New York, NY
- “I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality,” Bemis Center, Omaha, NE
- "Church for Sale," The Haubrok Collection and the National Gallery Collection, Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany
- "Yesterday we said tomorrow," Prospect.5, New Orleans, LA (Link)
- "AB.7: Eclipse," Athens Biennial, Athens, Greece (Link)
- "Altered States," Rebecca Camacho Presents, San Francisco, CA
- “Pushing the Margins: A Survey of LA Artists," curated by Charles Gaines, Galleri Opdahl, Stavanger, Norway (Link)
- "Hiding in Plain Sight," Pace Gallery, New York, NY (Link)
- "Our House: Selections from MoCA’s Collection," Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Los Angeles, CA
- "20 Years Anniversary," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- "Not I: Throwing Voices (1500 BCE - 2020CE)," curated José Luís Blondet, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
- 2020
- “Post Performance Video, prospective 1: Los Angeles,” Carré d’art, Nîmes, France
- “States of Mind: Art and American Democracy,” Moody Center for the Arts, RICE University, Houston, TX
- "Mojo Rising," CalState LA Ronald Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
- "20 Years Anniversary," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- 2019
- "New Order: Art and Technology in the Twenty-First Century," Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
- "Parts of Speech," MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL (Link)
- "Dirty Protest: Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection," Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- "Inaugural Exhibition," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
- 2018
- "West by Midwest," MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL
- "Say It Loud," 22 London, Asheville, NC
- ''One Day at a Time: Manny Farber and Termite Art," Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Los Angeles, CA
- "Welcome to the Dollhouse," Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, CA (Link)
- “Bounty,” Grice Bench, Los Angeles, CA
- "Painting Now and Forever Part III," Greene Naftali Gallery and Matthew Marks, New York, NY (Link)
- 2018-2020
- “Michael Jackson: On the Wall,” National Portrait Gallery, London, UK; travelled to: Grand Palais, Paris, France; Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn, Germany; Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finland
- 2017
- “Never Free to Rest,” kurimanzutto, Mexico City, Mexico
- “Pivotal: Highlights from the Collection,” Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
- “Looking at the Overlooked,” curated by Sally Frater, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS
- “Living Apart Together: Recent Acquisitions from the Hammer Contemporary Collection,” Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA (Link)
- “Midtown,” Lever House, New York, NY
- “In the Abstract,” MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA (Link)
- “Black Light,” CCA Wattis Institute, San Francisco, CA; travelling to Gallery 400, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
- “Regarding the Figure,” Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
- 2016
- “Making & Unmaking,” curated by Duro Olowu, Camden Arts Centre, London, UK
- “Los Angeles – A Fiction,” Astrup Fearnley Museet, Oslo, Norway, travelling to Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, Lyon, France (Link)
- “After Pop Life,” curated by Glen Helfand, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
- “Frozen World of the Familiar Stranger,” KADIST, San Francisco, CA
- “L.A. Exuberance: New Gifts by Artists,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
- 2015
- "Sharjah Biennial 12: The past, the present, the possible, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- "Misappropriations: Recent Acquisitions," curated by Dan Cameron, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
- "Reproduction, Reproduction," California Museum of Photography, University of California Riverside, Riverside, CA
- 2014
- "When the Stars Begin to Fall," The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY; traveling to the NSU Museum of Art, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)/ Boston, Boston, MA
- "Ruffneck Constructivists," curated by Kara Walker, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- "Outside the Lines: Black in the Abstract, Part 2," Contemporary Art Museum Houston, Houston, TX
- 2013
- "Room to Live: Recent Acquisitions and Works from the Collection," Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, Organized by Bennett Simpson
- "bald eagle," haubrok foundation, Berlin, Germany (Link)
- "Homebodies," MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL
- "Selections from the Grunwald Center and the Hammer Contemporary Collection", UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- "Selections from the Permanent Collection," organized by Bennett Simpson, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- "no desaster: sammlung haubrok bei falckenberg," Phoenix-Hallen, Harburg, Germany
- "The Black Mirror," Diane Rosenstein Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
- 2012
- "Blues for Smoke," The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH
- "my.LA," haubrok foundation, Berlin, Germany
- 2011
- "VideoStudio," The Studio Museum, Harlem, NY
- "The Bearden Project," The Studio Museum, Harlem, NY
- "Human Nature," Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
- "Seven Los Angeles Artists," Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- "shapes," haubrok foundation, Berlin, Germany
- "Agitated Histories," Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, MD; SITE Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
- 2010
- "Summer Group Show," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA
- Edgar Arceneaux, Andrea Bowers, Olga Koumoundouros, Rodney McMillian, Charles Gaines, Nery Gabriel Lemus, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX
- "The Artists Museum: Los Angeles Artists 1980-2010," Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- "About Us (Summer Group Show)," Johann Koenig, Berlin, Germany
- "New Art for a New Century: Contemporary Acquisitions 00-10," Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
- 2009
- "The Moving Image: Scan to Screen, Pixel to Projection II," Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
- "MONITAUR", Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO
- "Out of School," City of Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA
- 2008
- "30 Americans," Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL. Traveling to: North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
- "it's about sculpture," haubrok foundation, Berlin, Germany
- "California Biennial 2008," Orange County Museum of Art, CA; curated by Lauri Firstenberg
- "Index: Conceptualism in California from the Permanent Collection," The Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, CA
- "Whitney Biennial 2008," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- "BLACK IS, BLACK AINT," The Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, MI; H&R Block Artspace at the Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO; Temple Gallery At the Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA
- "Mannerfantasien II," Centre for Opinions in Music and Art, Berlin, Germany; curated by Ellen Blumenstein
- "Disorderly Conduct: Recent Art in Tumultuous Times," Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA; curated by Karen Moss
- 2007
- "An Atlas of Events," Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal; curated by Antnio Pinto Ribeiro, Debra Singer, and Esra Sarigedik
- "Touched: Artists and Social Engagement," Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA
- "Philosophy of Time Travel," Studio Museum in Harlem, NY; collaboration with Edgar Arceneaux, Vincent Johnson, Matthew Sloly, Olga Koumoundouros
- "Hammer Contemporary Collection," UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- "stop.look.listen: an exhibition of video works," Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Orlando Museum, Orlando, FL; curated by Andrea Inselmann
- "Rodney McMillian and Olga Koumoundouros: On A Porch," LAXART, Los Angeles, CA
- "USA: American Video Art at the Beginning of the 3rd Millennium," 2nd Moscow Biennale, Moscow, Russia; curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Daniel Birnbaum, and Gunnar Kvaran
- "Silicone Valley, PS1," Long Island City, NY; curated by Nick Stillman
- 2006
- "USA Today," The Royal Academy of Art, London, UK
- "Black Alphabet: conTEXTS of Contemporary African American Art," Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland; curated by Maria Brewińska
- "Ordinary Culture: Heikes/Helms/McMillian," Medtronic Gallery at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; curated by Doryun Chong
- "Painting in Tongues," Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA; curated by Michael Darling
- "Everybody Dance Now," EFA Gallery, New York, NY; curated by Kathleen Goncharov
- "ARCO," Project Booth selected by Christopher Miles; presented by Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Madrid, Spain
- 2005-2008
- "Uncertain States of America," Astrup Fearnley Museum of Art, Oslo, Norway; Bard Museum Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY; Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland; Herning Kunstmuseum, Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Contemporary Art, Warsaw, Poland; Le Muse de Srignan, Srignan, France; Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic; curated by Daniel Birnbaum, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Gunnar Kvaran
- 2005
- "Happenstance," Harris Lieberman Gallery, New York, NY; curated by Lauri Firstenberg
- "Menschensgladbach - Neue Ankufe und Leihgaben", Stdtisches Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach, Germany
- "Rouge Wave," LA Louver, Venice, CA
- "Thing - New Sculpture from Los Angeles," UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- "Frequency," Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, NY
- 2004
- "White Noise," REDCAT, Los Angeles, CA; curated by Clara Kim
- "Central Station," the collection of Harald Falckenberg, La Maison Rouge / Foundation Antoine de Galbert, Paris
- "Currents: African American Video Art Today," Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville, TN
- "Seeds and Roots: Selections from the Permanent Collection," The Studio Museum Harlem, Harlem, NY
- "New Balance Frontier," No Name Exhibitions @ The Soap Factory, Minneapolis, MN; curated by Aimee Chang
- "First Person," a Video Art Exhibition on DVD (with Carla Herrera-Prats and Anne-Julie Raccoursier), Sala de Arte Publico Siqueiros, Mexico City, Mexico; curated by Pilar Villela
- "Powering Up/Powering Down," a Technica Radica Conference, University of California, San Diego, CA
- "New," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA; collaboration with Edgar Arceneaux; inaugural exhibition
- "Now is a good time," Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY; curated by Dean Valentine
- "FADE - African American Artists in Los Angeles - A Survey Exhibition," Luckman Gallery and University Fine Arts Gallery, Cal State Los Angeles, CA; curated by Malik Gaines
- 2003
- "Gibt's mich wirklich - Vier Raeume aus der Sammlung Schuermann," K21, Duesseldorf, Germany
- "aufgeschraubt & abgestaubt," Il Die Sammlung im Prozess der Neuprasentation, Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany
- "Veni Vidi Video," The Studio Museum Harlem, Harlem, NY; curated by Christine Kim
- "Urban Aesthetics," California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA; curated by Sandra Rowe
- 2002
- "A Show That Will Show That A Show Is Not Only A Show," The Project, Los Angeles, CA; curated by Jens Hoffman
- "Messy Fingers," Track 16, Santa Monica, CA; curated by Charles Gaines and Martin Kersels
- "#9," 5301 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA; with Olga Koumoundouros
Guest Lectures
- 2024
- 2024 Summer Series Speaker Program with Charles Gaines, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO (forthcoming)
- 2023
- Rodney McMillian in Conversation with Jacob Mason-Macklin, The Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, NY
- 2010
- Artist lecture, Performance in collaboration with Tracie D. Morris and Chicava HoneyChild, and Discussion, A Proposition by Rodney McMillian: 13 Unrelated Ideas, The New Museum, New York, NY
Bibliography
- 2025
- jill moniz, Kathleen Rahn, Tanja-Bianca Schmidt. Conversation with Rodney McMillian, Anna Roberta Goetz. "Rodney McMillian The Land: Not Without a Politic," Spector Books, Leipzig, Germany, 2025
- Picard, Caroline. "The Poetics of Dimensions," Artforum, March (Link)
- 2024
- e-flux staff. "Rodney McMillian: The Land—Not Without a Politic Marta Herford Museum of Art and Design," e-flux, March 14 (Link)
- 2023
- Dambrot, Shana Nys. "Cultural Labor Day: Arts Calendar August 31 - September 6," LAWeekly, August 30
- Knauss, Christina Lee. "Columbia-born national artist now represented in his home museum," Columbia Regional Business Report, August 24 (Link)
- Nicholson, Zoe. "CMA acquires contemporary works by Columbia native Rodney McMillian, solo exhibit planned," Post And Courier Free Times, August 8 (Link)
- O'Leary, Erin. "It’s Time | Vielmetter Los Angeles," Photography, March 1
- Zuckerman-Hartung, Molly. "Worse Words," The Brooklyn Rail, March (Link)
- Mousse Magazine Staff. "“It’s Time” at Vielmetter, Los Angeles," Mousse Magazine, February 18 (Link)
- Nys Dambrot, Shana. "A Pair of Exhibitions Renovate Portraiture and Perfection at Vielmetter Los Angeles," LA Weekly, February 9 (Link)
- Clayton, Dominique. "The Best Black Art Shows in Los Angeles Right Now," Cultured, January 30
- Platt, Stacy J. "The Dirty South Comes to Denver," Hyperallergic, January 12 (Link)
- 2022
- Kelsey, Meret. "UB Art Galleries’ latest exhibition explores the absurdities of the human body," The Spectrum, November 17 (Link)
- "Church for Sale Works from the Haubrok Collection and the Nationalgalerie Collection," Exhibition Catalogue, Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
- Art Institute of Chicago. "Rodney McMillian: The Great Society," The Art Insitute of Chicago, August 9 (Link)
- Clayton, Jace. "Whitney Biennial 2022," Artforum, June (Link)
- Diehl, Travis. "‘The Bodywork of Hospitality’ Sees Communal Care as a Civic Obligation," Frieze Magazine, February 28 (Link)
- Davis, Ben. "The Prospect 5 Triennial Reflects Contemporary Culture’s Hunger for Widespread Yet Specific Historical Reckoning," Artnet, January 19 (Link)
- 2021
- Williams, Michael Paul. "‘The history of the African American South is really the history of this country’: "The Dirty South" at VMFA opens Saturday," Richmond Times-Dispatch, May 20 (Link)
- "The Act of Surviving is Enough" UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, January
- 2020
- Wagner, Josh. "Rodney McMillian: ‘Body Politic’ The Enduring Necessity of Memory," Art Now LA, December
- Piejko, Jennifer. "The Crushing Weight of the Comfortable: Rodney McMillian," Mousse Magazine, November 13
- Murray, Yxta Maya. "Art Seen: Rodney McMillian, Body Politic," Brooklyn Rail, November
- Miranda, Carolina. "Newsletter," Los Angeles Times, October 31
- Haddad, Natalie. "Rodney McMillian Deftly Treads the Line Between Politics and Aesthetics," Hyperallergic, October 30
- Preston-Zappas, Lindsay. "Black lives, immigration and politics are focal points of new LA art exhibits," KCRW, October 27
- Pogrebin, Robin. "Black Gallerists Press Forward Despite a Market That Holds Them Back," New York Times, June 25
- Goodman, Jonathan. "Rodney McMillian at Petzel," White Hot Magazine, July 2020
- Schwendener, Martha. "2 Art Gallery Shows to Explore From Home," The New York Times, May 6 (Link)
- Story, John and Philipp Farra. "Hanging With Clarence by Rodney McMillian," Riting, April 15
- Fateman, Johanna. "Goings on About Town: Rodney McMillian," The New Yorker, April
- Laster, Paul. "Upcycling: 5 Artists Inventively Using Reclaimed Materials," Art & Object, April 6 (Link)
- "Petzel Gallery opens a solo exhibition of recent paintings by artist Rodney McMillian," ArtDaily, March 8
- Durón, Maximiliano. "2020 Prospect New Orleans Triennial to Consider America’s ‘Unprecedented’ Political Moment," ArtNews, March 2 (Link)
- Valentine, Victoria L. "Artist List for Prospect New Orleans Triennial Includes Mark Bradford, Willie Birch, Simone Leigh, Dawoud Bey, Glenn Ligon, Karon Davis, Naudline Pierre, and Kevin Beasley," CultureType, March 2 (Link)
- "Prospect New Orleans Announces Artist List for Prospect.5," Artforum, March 2 (Link)
- Angeletti, Gabriella. "Three exhibitions to see in New York this weekend," The Art Newspaper, February 27 (Link)
- Cascone, Sarah. "In LA for Frieze Week? Here Is Our Guide to 22 Mind-Expanding Museum Shows to See If You Want to Venture Beyond the Fairs," artnet, February 11 (Link)
- Aldridge, Taylor Renee. "Critics' Picks: Rodney McMillian at The Underground Museum," Artforum, February (Link)
- Kane, Ashleigh. "Art shows to leave the house for this month," Dazed, February 8 (Link)
- "Top shows to see during Frieze Los Angeles," Art Newspaper, February 6 (Link)
- 2019
- Russeth, Andrew. "For Dealer Friedrich Petzel, a Successful Gallery Is About Precision, Not Expansion," ArtNews, December 12 (Link)
- English, D., Barat, C., and Lowery, G. D. (2019). Among Others, Blackness at MoMA. Pg 306-307. Museum of Modern Art.
- Pieterson, Mark. "This Hammer Museum Curator Uses Cinema to Educate and Empower," Surface, December 12 (Link)
- Desmarais, Charles. "Rodney McMillian’s cyclorama of displacement at SFMOMA," SF Chronicle, April 29 (Link)
- Gardner, Drake. "Professor’s new exhibition explores homelessness, inequality in America," Daily Bruin, April 30 (Link)
- Shindel, Dan. "A New, Highly Eclectic Space for Arthouse Films in Los Angeles," Hyperallergic, April 19 (Link)
- "The Twenty Five," Cultured, February/March
- Lorin, Guillaume. "BEAUX ARTS – In this Land de Rodney McMillian au SFMOMA," CHOQ, March 28 (Link)
- Ambramovich, Alex. "Termite Art and the Modern Museum," New Yorker, February 28 (Link)
- Volpicelli, Anna. "Winter Arts Preview: 16 Bay Area Exhibitions, Performances + Festivals," 7x7, January 8 (Link)
- 2018
- Balzar, C., Puvogel, R., and; Zybok, O. (2021). Beyond the Box, Dohmen Collection. Pg 118-121. Dr. Cantz'sche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG.
- Knight, Christopher. "Review: Helen Molesworth's final show at MOCA is the anti-celebrity show we need right now," Los Angelest Times, October 19 (Link)
- Wouk Almino, Elisa. "Helen Molesworth’s Last MOCA Exhibition Is an Act of Love," Hyperallergic, November 13 (Link)
- Rus, Mayer. "Designer Nell Alano Reimagines Philanthropist Eileen Harris Norton's Santa Monica Home," Architectural Digest, November 11 (Link)
- Smith, Roberta, "Painting: An (Incomplete) Survey of the State of the Art," New York Times (web), August 2 (Link)
- Raji, Michelle, "Artist Rodney McMillian Wants Viewers to Grapple with Race — and Register to Vote," Texas Observer (web), July 6 (Link)
- Eckart, Stephanie, "How Nearly 50 Artists' Attempted to Do the Impossible: Illustrate Michael Jackson's Enormous Influence and Legacy," W Magazine (web), July 8 (Link)
- Raji, Michelle, "Artist Rodney McMillian Wants Viewers to Grapple with Race — and Register to Vote," Texas Observer (web), July 6 (Link)
- Jean, Melany, “'Rodney McMillian: Against a Civic Death’ at the Contemporary Austin,” The Austin Chronicle (web), March 16 (Link)
- Bass, Shermakaye, “Exhibit at Contemporary explores the architecture and politics of race,” My Statesman (web), March 14 (Link)
- Olsen, Ivy, "Antidotes for apathy: Rodney McMillian's Austin show is a 'call to action'," The Art Newspaper (web), February 20 (Link)
- Petrossiants, Andreas, "'I hear it everywhere I go' at Franklin Street Works," Brooklyn Rail (web), February 7 (Link)
- Greenberger, Alex, "San Antonio Museum of Art Acquires Works by Kevin Beasley, Rodney McMillian, Martine Syms," ArtNews (web), January 25 (Link)
- Miranda, Carolina A., “L.A. artist Rodney McMillian peels back the façade on the ultimate symbol of power: the White House,” Los Angeles Times, January 10 (Link)
- 2017
- Maldonado, Devon Van Houten, “ ‘Never Free to Rest’ at kurimanzutto, Mexico City,” art agenda (web), November 27 (Link)
- Hunter, Becky Huff, “Waging an Artist’s War,” Sculpture, January / February (Cover and Feature) (Link)
- Curtis, Frieda, “SLAM spotlight: Rodney McMillian’s ‘A Migration Tale’,” Student Life (web), February 20 (Link)
- 2016
- Hine, Thomas, “Two shows at ICA: One head-scratcher, one sly use of space,” Philly.com (web), March 12 (Link)
- Moon, Kavior, “Previews: Rodney McMillian,” Artforum, January
- Plokarz, Tina, “Rodney McMillian’s sinister The Black Show at the ICA,” artblog (web), March 9
- Kennedy, Randy, “Turning Discarded Items into Art About Race in America,” The New York Times, March 23 (Link)
- Kaplan, Isaac, “If You Don’t Understand Conceptual Art, It’s Not Your Fault,” Artsy (web), March 31 (Link)
- Smith, William S., “Post-Consumer Report: A Conversation with Rodney McMillian,” Art in America (web), April 25 (Link)
- Harren, Natilee “Knight’s heritage: Karl Haendel and the Legacy of Appropiration, Episode 2, 2012,” Art Journal Open (web), April 22 (Link)
- Quinton, Jared, “Rodney McMillian’s Sobering, Irreverent Take on Race in America,” art21 magazine (web), May 2
- Pobric, Pac, “Rodney McMillian and the Poetry of the Past,” The Art Newspaper (web), May 4
- Standley, Michelle, “Rodney McMillian: Views of Main Street,” The Brooklyn Rail (web), June 3
- Blair, Courtney Willis, “4Questions: Rodney McMillian,” Forbes (web), June 23
- Gopnik, Blake, “THE DAILY PIC: The Studio Musuem in Harlem shows his domestic minimalism,” ArtNet News (web), June 27
- Sutton, Kate, “Through the Portal,” Cultured, June (Link)
- Wagner, Sandra, “Sweat Equity: A Conversation with Ruben Ochoa,” Sculpture Magazine, September
- Harris, Jane Ursula, “Rodney McMillian,” Art in America (web), September 17
- Mizota, Sharon, “Review: How white tables set with black vases serve as a reminder of the struggler for civil rights,” Los Angeles Times, September 19
- van Ryzin, Jeanne Claire, “Rodney McMillian wins inaugural $100,000 Suzanne Deal Booth art prize,” Austin American-Statesman (web), October 30
- Crow, Kelly, “Rodney McMillian Wins Inaugural Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize,” The Wall Street Journal (web), October 31
- Cascone, Sarah, “Rodney McMillian Wins First $100,000 Suzanne Deal Booth Prize,” artnet news (web), November 3
- Lynch, Scott, “New Art & Notorious MSG at PS1 Spring Open House,” Gothamist (web), April 4
- Moffitt, Evan, “Rodney McMillian,” frieze (web), June 23
- 2015
- Zuckerman, Heidi. "Rodney McMillian: Landscape Paintings," Aspen Art Museum, Aspen Art Press, Aspen, Colorado, Distributed by Artbook, D.A.P., New York, NY
- Travers, Andrew. "Aspen Times Weekly: Current Events," The Aspen Times, March 26
- Benedetti, Christine. "Landscape Paintings and Second Chances Make AAM Debut," Aspen Daily News, March 27
- Travers, Andrew. "Rodney McMillian puts landscapes to bed in Aspen Art Museum show," The Aspen Times, May 22
- Weatherford, Mary. "The Artists Artists: Mary Weatherford," Artforum, December
- 2014
- Bader, Graham. "Review: Outside the Lines at Contemporary Art Museum Houston," Artforum, April
- Lax, Thomas. "Rodney McMillian, catalogue for When the Stars Begin to Fall," Studio Museum Harlem, Spring
- 2013
- Petry, Michael, "Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists Reinvigorate the Still Life," London: Thames & Hudson, October
- Ise, Claudine, "There is nothing cozy about MCA's 'Homebodies'," The Chicago Tribune, July 17
- Soto, Paul. "Rodney McMillian," Flash Art, May
- Cotter, Holland, Mood Indigo: A Playlist for the Mind. Blues for Smoke at the Whitney Museum, New York Times, February 7
- Friedwald, Will, "The Jazz Scene: Even Uptown Gets the Blues," The Wall Street Journal, February 7
- Kiyoizumi, A.J., Artist Rodney McMillian Discusses Process: Los Angeles Artist Melds the Political and Artistic with Keen Performances, The Daily Californian, April 9
- Mizota, Sharon, Rodney McMillian on the puppets of politics, Los Angeles Times, January 24 (Link)
- 2012
- Wilson, Michael, Rodney McMillian at Maccarone, Art Forum, December
- Schultz, Charles Marshall, New York: Rodney McMillian at Maccarone, Art in America, December
- Schwarting, Jen, Rodney McMillian Prospect Ave, The Brooklyn Rail, November
- Knight, Christopher, Blues Reverberates at MOCA, The Los Angeles Times, October 29
- Johnson, Reed, MOCA's 'Blues for Smoke' riffs on a wider aesthetic, The Los Angeles Times, October 27
- Wood, Mikael, "MOCA Examines Blues Music", Los Angeles Confidential, October
- Boucher, Brian, Maccarone to Expand in West Village, Art in America, March 13
- "The Bearden Project", exhibition catalogue; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY
- Simpson, Bennett, Blues for Smoke, exhibition catalogue; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- 2011
- Simpson, Bennett, And Your Mind Will Follow, Artforum, October
- Muchnic, Suzanne, 50 years of support- and changing tastes- at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Los Angeles Times, May 15
- 2010
- Miles, Chris, Rodney McMillian at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, LA Weekly, February 11
- Ollman, Leah, Around the Galleries, Los Angeles Times, February 5
- Civin, Marcus, Succulent in Culver City, Artslant, January 26
- 2009
- Rodney McMillian features new commission by the artist in his first solo museum exhibition, artdaily.org, August 1
- Sholis, Brian, Rodney McMillian: The Kitchen, Artforum, January
- Hobbs, Robert, Franklin Sirmans and Michele Wallace, 30 Americans, exhibition catalogue; Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL
- 2008
- Chang, Richard, Visual art/ Top 5 events, Orange County Register, December 26
- Stacy, Greg, OCMAs 2008 California Biennial Is the Gift That Keeps On (and On and On) Giving, OC Weekly, November 6
- Buitron, Michael, 2008 California Biennial at the OCMA and Beyond, Leap Into the Void, October 25
- Copeland, Huey, The Blackness of Blackness, ArtForum, October
- Markle, Leslie, Disorderly Conduct, artUS, Summer
- OConnell, Brian, Ghostly Media: What Would an Invoking Media Look Like?, Art & Research, Summer
- Dambrot, Shana, Report: New York City, The Ghost of Jason Rhoades, Art Ltd, July
- Menzies, Michelle, Black Is, Black Aint, Flash Art, July
- Goldner, Liz, Opening Review: Disorderly Conduct, Artillery, May/June
- Vikram, Anuradha, The LA Annual, Artillery, May/June
- Grabner, Michelle, Black Is, Black Aint, Time Out Chicago, May 22
- Salsbury, Britany, Critics Picks: Black Is, Black Aint, ArtForum, May
- Volk, Gregory, Spring In Dystopia, Art In America, May
- Schjeldahl, Peter, Lessness: The Whitney Biennial, New Yorker, March 17
- Cohn, Marilyn, The Big Apple: Whitney Biennial, For Your Art, March 13
- Schuker, Lauren A.E., The Fine Art of Less, The Wall Street Journal, March 7
- Holland Cotter, Arts Economic Indicator, The New York Time, March 7
- Cohen, David, Whitney Biennial Has Adopted A Boho Vibe, The New York Sun, March 5
- Mizota, Sharon, World in Upheaval, Los Angeles Times, February 10
- Inselmann, Andrea, stop.look.listen: an exhibition of video works, exhibition catalogue; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Thompson, Nato, A Guide to Democracy in America, exhibition catalogue; Creative Time, New York, NY
- 2007
- Vogel, Carol, Whitney Biennial Stretches to Armory, New York Times, November 16
- Artists Announced for 2008 Whitney Biennial, Artforum.com, November 16 Continuing and Recommended, Art Scene, September
- Myers, Holly, Social issues leave imprint in Touched, Los Angeles Times, August 22
- Finkel, Jori, A Reluctant Fraternity, Thinking Post-Black, New York Times, June 10
- Brancusi Report: Last Days in LA, artslant.com, March
- Firstenberg, Lauri, Rodney McMillian: Los Angeles, Art Papers, January/February
- Ellis, Patricia, Catching up with Charles (Saatchi), FlashArt, January/Februrary
- 2nd Moscow Biennale, FlashArt Online News, January/February
- Kim, Christine Y, Philosophy of Time Travel, exhibition catalogue; The Studio Museum in Harlem, NY
- Molok, Nikolai, and Rodney McMillian, Footnotes on Geopolitics, Market, and Amnesia: 2nd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, exhibition catalogue; ArtChronika and Moscow Biennale Art Foundation, Moscow, Russia
- Sholis, Brian, Rodney McMillian, exhibition catalogue from An Atlas of Events; Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London, UK
- 2006
- Fair Report: Art Basel Miami Beach & Satellite Fairs, artinfo, December 15
- Smith, Roberta, More Than You Can See: Storm of Art Engulfs Miami, New York Times, December 9
- Searle, Adrian, Rebels without a cause, The Guardian, December 9
- The AI Eye (Miami): Editors Picks of Art for Sale, artinfo, December 8
- Nys Dambrot, Shana, Rodney McMillian: Odes, ArtReview, December
- Lawson, Thomas, Best of 2006, Artforum, December
- Morgan, Jessica, Best of 2006, Artforum, December
- Nys Dambrot, Shana, Rodney McMillian: Odes, Lifescapes Magazine, November
- Knight, Christopher, Falling short of a Great Society, Los Angeles Times, October 6
- Krasny, Marcin, Czarno na białym (Black on White), Obieg Magazine, Poland, October 6
- Brooks, Amra, Must See Art: Rodney McMillian, LA Weekly, October 5
- Bedford, Christopher, Rodney McMillian, Artforum.com, October 5
- CG, Rodney McMillian: Odes, Artkrush, October 4
- Muchnic, Suzanne, The Art Explosion, Los Angeles Times, October 1
- Kenning, Dean, Uncertain States of America, Art Monthly, October
- Kent, Sarah, States of the Art, Time Out, September 20
- Berardini, Andrew, Scene & Herd: On the Road, artforum.com, September 15
- Glover, Michael, An Orgy of Appropriation, The Independent, September 13
- Abbe, Mary, Ordinary becomes extraordinary, Star Tribune Minneapolis, August 17
- Smith, Roberta, Endgame Art? Its Borrow, Sample and Multiply in an Exhibition at Bard College, NYTimes, July 7
- Art in LA: Then & Now, Artkrush, May 31
- Hip New Buyers Boost Sales at Armory Show, Artnews, March 28
- Landi, Ann, Multiple Personalities, ARTnews, April
- Harvey, Doug, Glossolalia for Dummies, LA Weekly, February 22
- Knight, Christopher, "Painting Can Speak In Many Tongues", The Los Angeles Times, February 3
- Campagnola, Sofia, Focus Los Angeles, Flash Art, January/February
- Kastner, Jeffrey, Frequency, Artforum, January
- Frequency, Color Image: The Studio Museum in Harlem Magazine, Collectors Issue, Fall/winter
- Brewińska, Maria, Black Alphabet: conTEXTS of Contemporary African American Art, exhibition catalogue; Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland
- Chong, Doryun, Ordinary Culture, exhibition catalogue; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
- Darling, Michael, and Wolfram, Heubach, Friedrich, Painting in Tongues, exhibition catalogue, pg. 66-77; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Horowitz, Noah and Sholis, Brian, The Uncertain States of America Reader, Serpentine Gallery, London
- 2005
- Chang, Aimee, Rodney McMillian, Exhibition Catalogue, Frequency, The Studio Museum in Harlem, p.58-59
- Cotter, Holland, Happenstance, New York Times, December 30
- Boston, Nicolas, Give Them the Chair, The New York Observer, December 5
- Smith, Roberta, Where Issues of Black Identity Meet the Concerns of Every Artist, New York Times, November 18
- Zox, Rogue Wave at LA Louver Gallery, art/design, July 11
- Pagel, David, Summer sampler has a dark side, Los Angeles Times, July 8
- Lasarow, Bill, Rogue Wave, Art Scene, July
- Forgacs, Eva, Thing, artUS, July
- Firstenberg, Lauri, Thing, Frieze, June
- Frank, Peter,The Dish: Art, Angeleno, May
- Almela, Ramon, Sculpture in Los Angeles. Truth, Reality, and Objects, critic@rte, May 15
- Mack, Joshua, Sculpture from Los Angeles, Modern Painters, April
- Mack, Joshua, Thing: New Sculpture from Los Angeles, Modern Painters, April
- Chang, Richard, Maybe the Next Big Thing, The Orange County Register, March 6
- Arriola, Magali, Thing, March
- Ned Holte, Michael, "West Coast Thing", Artforum.com, February 10
- Knight, Christopher, "The next big 'Thing' in L.A.", Los Angeles Times, February 9
- Cotter, Holland, "Rodney McMillian at Triple Candie", New York Times, January 21
- Tumlir, Jan, "THING: New Sculpture from Los Angeles", Artforum, January
- Golden, Thelma, "A Beautiful Thing", exhibition catalogue; The Studio Museum Harlem, NY
- Birnbaum, Daniel, Kvaran, Gunnar, Obrist, Ulrich, Uncertain States of America: American Art in the Third Millennium, exhibition catalogue; Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway
- Chang, Aimee, "Thing: New Sculpture from Los Angeles - Rodney McMillian", exhibition catalogue; Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA
- 2004
- Myers, Holly, "Disposable Society", Los Angeles Times, October 13
- Friedrich, Christine, "White Noise at RedCat", downtownartnews, October 13
- Kim, Clara, "White Noise", Exhibition Brochure, RedCat, September
- Myers, Julian, "Edgar Arceneaux - Rodney McMillian at Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects", Frieze, May
- Davis, Phillip, "What we saw at ArtBasel Miami Beach", Dwell Magazine, April
- Worthington, Peter, " Eye of the beholder - you gotta see what some people call 'art'", Toronto Sunday Sun, March 14
- Knight, Christopher, "A chronicle of race, rage, ritual", Los Angeles Times, February 17
- Harvey, Doug, "Color Theory - Fade to black", LA Weekly, February 13
- Barry, Dave, "Call me clueless, but I'm working toward my artistic license", Miami Herald; re-published in: International Herald Tribune Paris; Detroit Free Press; and Houston Chronicle, January 17
- Adamski, Stephan, Kunstforum, January
- 2003
- Kunde, Harald, "aufgeschraubt und abgestaubt", Ludwig Forum fuer Internationale
- Kunst, Aachen, exhibition text Scarborough, James, artcritical.com, June 17
Awards, Grants and Fellowships
- 2016
- Suzanne Deal Booth Art Prize, Contemporary Austin, TX
- 2008
- United States Artists Broad Fellow 2008
- Art Matters, Spring 2008 Grantee
- 2007
- William H. Johnson Prize, winner
- 2005
- William H. Johnson Prize, finalist
- 2000
- Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship Recipient, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Public Collections
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC
- Compound, Long Beach, CA
- Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
- Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
- Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
- Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, CA
- Rennie Museum, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
- Städtisches Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach, Germany
- St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
- The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
- Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS