Sino-Trolley/ROCI CHINA 1986

Robert Rauschenberg made Sino-Trolley/ROCI CHINA with mixed media, creating a large-scale assemblage, almost like a moving collage. It's all about the layering of textures and colours, where each mark feels like a step in a process. What really grabs me about this piece is the physicality of it. You've got these swathes of colour, punctuated by printed images. It’s not just about what’s depicted; it’s about how it's put together. Look at that wheel, for instance. It’s not just a wheel; it’s a symbol, a shape, a mark that echoes and resonates with the other shapes throughout the piece. The colours are really knocked back and desaturated, lending a feeling of faded memory to the piece. Rauschenberg's approach reminds me a bit of Kurt Schwitters, who built art from the stuff of everyday life. Ultimately, art is about embracing the messy, the ambiguous, and the multiple possibilities that emerge when we bring things together.