About

Rob White, known as thearthole, is a celebrated and highly sought-after illustrator and artist with a distinct voice in contemporary art. His bold, humorous, and edgy style has led to high-profile collaborations with icons in fashion and music, including Paul Smith Clothing and Ministry of Sound Recordings. Known for his collectible cover artworks for the electronic band Bent, Rob’s work resonates with dedicated fans and collectors alike. His work has been shown internationally, with pieces in the permanent collection of MoMA New York, marking him as a respected figure in the world of contemporary art and illustration.

Rob’s practice occupies the space where humour, politics, surrealism and the macabre intersect. His work is concerned with the contradictions of being human: our vulnerability in the face of mortality, our attempts to find meaning, and the often absurd ways we navigate the everyday. He is drawn to moments where the profound and the ridiculous collide, using both contemplation and humour to examine experiences that are difficult to articulate or understand.

Dark humour and satire are his tools of observation, producing scratchy drawings, splattered paintings and roughly constructed sculptural objects. The humour is deliberately acerbic and irreverent, allowing difficult or uncomfortable subjects to be approached through exaggeration, contradiction and play. Beneath the simplicity and humour in these works is an interest in contemporary life, social behaviour, politics and the absurdity of human existence.

My artist portfolio can be viewed here www.thearthole.co.uk and my design and illustration portfolio at  www.robwhitestudio.co.uk

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