R.I.P. Germain (b. Luton) is an interdisciplinary conceptual artist, archivist, lecturer and mentor. He focuses on disentangling the inner and outer wars that pertain to the Black male, through essays, interactive audiovisual installations and performances.

His practice traffics in double meanings, deep resonances and a tension between accessibility and occlusion. Trickster and guide, he tries to dance a fine line: making work that speaks to deep truths without cheapening them with explanations or flattening them out for easy consumption. Sedimented with layers dense with cultural meaning and reference, the extensive research undergirding R.I.P. Germain’s work draws from multiple genres of Black experience, history and culture – personal and collective, seeking to make art that is rigorous about his commitments and possibilities as a Black artist.

Solo exhibitions include ‘Avangarda’, SculptureCenter, New York (2024); ‘Jesus Died For Us, We Will Die For Dudus!’, ICA, London (2023); ‘Four Bedrooms With An En Suite, A Garage & Garden In A Nice Neighbourhood’, V.O Curations, London (2022); Shimmer, Two Queens, Leicester (2022); ‘Dead Yard’, Cubitt, London (2020); ‘Gidi Up’, Peak, London (2018). His works have been featured in group exhibitions at Deborah Schamoni, Munich (2022); South London Gallery, London (2021); Arcadia Missa, Bari (2021); Cubitt, London (2020). 

Germain was the recipient of the ICA Image Behaviour prize (2021) which culminated in his first short film ‘mew’ premiering at the ICA (2022).