Heatwave Painting

Hi, I’m Robin Clare, a Jamaican artist, illustrator, and animator living in Australia. My work is rooted in the rhythm and spirit of Jamaican popular culture, especially the energy and visual language of its music, dance, and post-independence identity. Over the past 15 years, I’ve built a multidisciplinary practice spanning painting, animation, surface design, and print. Whether I’m working on a gallery piece or a commercial commission, I’m always exploring how movement, sound, and storytelling shape how we see ourselves and our culture. Cultural collaboration is an essential part of my practice. I’ve worked closely with dance communities in Jamaica and across the diaspora to create art that honours, reinterprets, and reflects the legacy of Jamaican dance and popular culture. In recent years, I’ve been focussing on some great commercial partnerships and creative collaborations, working on music videos, brand campaigns, apparel, and album artwork, while continuing to explore new visual narratives that celebrate Caribbean identity. Visually, I’m drawn to crisp, expressive lines and a vibrant, high-contrast colour palette. My work channels the visual rhythm of Jamaican street culture with the graphic punch of its hand-painted signage, reimagined through the lens of dancehall and diaspora storytelling. My art has been shown in exhibitions and events around the world, including the Kingston Biennial, the Kennedy Center, the Museum of Latin American Art, the National Gallery of Jamaica, Art Week Miami, Vivid Sydney, and Artspace Aotearoa. During the 2012 London Olympics, my work reached global audiences through a travelling group exhibition that opened at Puma’s Jamaican headquarters in London. Whether collaborating with record labels, choreographers, or fashion brands, I bring a movement-infused visual language that is unmistakably Caribbean and unapologetically contemporary.