Rainbow Dreams: An Introduction
Olga Rei and Valentine Uhovski
Be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou
The Idea Behind Rainbow Dreams
We live in interesting and unpredictable times, and the emotions they stir are many. Yet among them, we choose to highlight hope, joy, and the beauty of color. Rainbows, in their timeless simplicity, remind us of the miracle of existence. They can serve as a visual antidote to life’s complexities or as a gentle reminder of how beauty always finds its way through.
The idea for this book first took root when a friend envisioned a physical museum dedicated to rainbows in Iceland. But by 2020, the vision had expanded into something greater: not just a place, but an ideology. At a time when the world seemed clouded, it became apparent that humanity needed hope, color, and beauty more than ever.
From this realization came Rainbow Contemporary, a collective we’ve formed to bring joy through the vibrant language of art. What began as conversations soon evolved into collaborations, as artists united across mediums and geographies to create collectibles that benefited fantastic causes. What bound us all was a simple truth: color has the power to heal, to connect, and to inspire. And for us, it created a five-year curatorial journey in which we often traveled far and wide to see these installations in person.
The Rainbow as a Symbol of Hope
We weren’t alone in turning to rainbows. During the global lockdowns of COVID-19, children everywhere painted them on windows as symbols of hope. Damien Hirst released rainbow-inspired editions. Lauren Halsey used color to pay tribute all at once to the beauty, loss, and change of her South Central Los Angeles neighborhood. Fred Tomaselli’s collages, set against jarring New York Times headlines, were poetic reminders of the power of color to unite humanity. Seven Magic Mountains by Ugo Rondinone, first installed in 2016, grew into an even more powerful symbol for those who made the trek to the desert to interact with it and contemplate the intersection of human creation and nature.
A History of Colour and Light
Seeing so much powerful work expressed through the rainbow wasn’t unique to that moment, however. Throughout history, rainbows have captivated the human imagination, standing as symbols of hope, renewal, and the beauty found in the marriage of colors. They’re accessible, calming, unifying, and stimulating. Artists have employed them to evoke, explore, and amplify.
One of the earliest depictions of a rainbow can be found in a thirteenth-century Persian illustrated manuscript by Zakariya ibn Muhammad Qazwini, in which the rainbow represents divine presence on earth. In the fifteenth-century Annunciation by Jan van Eyck, the rainbow spectrum represents the redemption of humankind. John Constable incorporated a rainbow in his 1831 painting, Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows, as a symbol of hope and optimism after losing his wife, the mother of his seven children. Modern artists such as Georges Seurat, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, and Josef Albers have applied the full spectrum of color toward more abstract ends. “Color provokes a psychic vibration,” wrote Wassily Kandinsky in 1911. “Color hides a power still unknown but real, which acts on every part of the human body.”
Rainbows, Conflict and Renewal
In curating this book of contemporary art, we were constantly inspired by the different ways artists from around the world have utilized the spectrum of the rainbow. While some incorporate the theme as an aesthetic exploration, others employ it symbolically to represent themes like peace and harmony – both personal and political. This range of approaches reminds us that rainbows are cultural touchstones that surpass the restrictions of borders and languages.
The editing of this book unfolded against the backdrop of a world still marked by uncertainty, conflict, and crisis. Loss and suffering are parts of everyone’s life, and no amount of color can banish them. But rainbows can cut through darkness, offering a lens for repair and renewal.
Paul Cézanne is said to have remarked that “we live in a rainbow of chaos.” Perhaps that contradiction captures our world best: the light with the dark, beauty with disorder, color with ambiguity. Rainbows help to tell the story of the human experience: our longing for light, our resilience amid turmoil, our ability to create beauty even in fractured times. That is the essence of Rainbow Dreams. Through these pages, we invite you to journey across a spectrum of imagination. May the works within mesmerize, inspire, and above all, remind you of the enduring promise always surrounding us in an array of scintillating hues.
From the Rainbow Nation
South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga joins celebrated names including Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst in Rainbow Dreams. In conversation, the multidisciplinary artist reflects on identity, mythology, and the promise of the Rainbow Nation.
Q: Had you met or worked with Olga or Valentine before this project?
Athi-Patra: My first meeting with Olga and Valentine was in New York during the opening of my first US institutional show. I was honoured and surprised to have been included in the book.
Q: What made you want to be part of Rainbow Dreams, and what did the project represent to you?
Athi-Patra: Being included in publications is an acknowledgement of one’s practice within a historical art canon. My early work was marked by a radical use of colour, and this is what attracted them to the idea of including me in the book, as it celebrates how artists use hue and colour in their messaging.
Q: The publication features The Future White Woman of Azania 1 (2012) and Thud of a Snowflake (detail) (2013). Why were these the right works to represent your practice?
Athi-Patra: The works are among the best examples of how I used colour, texture, and spectacle to draw attention to a much deeper, critical layer of the times we were living through. The idea of the Rainbow Nation was beginning to crumble before us as South Africans. The Rhodes Must Fall movement was gathering momentum and, through colour, I wanted to do what some of my favourite artists do, which is to console.
Q: How do you start creating a new piece?
Athi-Patra: It starts with curiosity about why I feel a certain way – joy or anguish. I then look at how artists within the black, queer, and femme tradition have dealt with similar issues. Through researching histories and philosophies, I develop a character who will, of course, be dressed. Narrative has become particularly important as I’ve spent the past seven years working on screenplays and dramaturgy.
Q: How has studying fashion influenced your art?
Athi-Patra: Before studying fashion, I completed a three-year art course. Combined with fashion, it points to the performative element of the way we move through life. Craftsmanship is evident because it requires enormous discipline.
Q: Why is mythology such a powerful way of exploring South African identity?
Athi-Patra: The founding myth of our Rainbow Nation has always made me ask: who is not in the room with us? Why is it always the story of great men with little deeds? How do I minimise the omissions of black, queer, and femme experiences? That is what The Future White Woman of Azania was about. Myths carry morals within society, and because we are talking about culture, we must debate and glamour forth.
Q: How have international audiences shaped your understanding of your work?
Athi-Patra: I cannot be at the mercy of the audience. That’s a trap laced with the short-term pleasure of external validation.
About the authors of Rainbow Dreams
Olga Rei is a curator and the co-founder of Rainbow Contemporary and Art Ruby. Working at the crossroads of culture and innovation, she has collaborated with institutions and figures including the Whitney Museum of American Art, LVMH, Vogue, and Lady Gaga.
Valentine Uhovski is a founder and cultural strategist with nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, art, and culture. A co-founder of Rainbow Contemporary, he has held roles at Tumblr, IMG, Interview, The Wall Street Journal, and W.
Rainbow Dreams
By Olga Rei and Valentine Uhovski
Published by Monacelli – A Phaidon Company
R1 030
IMAGES: THUD OF A SNOWFLAKE (DETAIL), 2013 – Image credit: artwork © and courtesy the artist / Courtesy Athi-Patra Ruga and WHATIFTHEWORLD. Photo: Hayden Phipps (page 29); Thud of a Snowflake (detail), 2013 Image credit: artwork © and courtesy the artist / Courtesy Athi-Patra Ruga and WHATIFTHEWORLD. Photo: Hayden Phipps (page 29)
