Artist, architect, filmmaker, critic, educator. As an architecture student at the University of British Columbia in the early 1970s, Robert Kleyn—along with Rodney Graham, Duane Lunden, Frank Johnson (aka Frank Ramirez), Maureen Ryan, and Robert Sandilands—produced the art book Architecture of the Fraser Valley: An Opportunities For Youth Project (1972). The disappearing Victorian-era buildings were documented in a partly random manner, the search itself becoming a part of the text, revealing the economic forces at work in the production of culture and landscape. During this time, Kleyn began writing critical texts on Italian theatre and film for the Vancouver-based art publication Vanguard. He also lived in Rome, working in the film industry and at an architectural firm during the summers. He would eventually relocated to Italy for twelve years, establishing himself as an innovative architect. Kleyn currently resides in Vancouver.
Discrete project sites documenting the work of specific artists and collectives in detail.
Essays and conversation providing a context for exploring the Project Sites and Archives.
Video interviews conducted between December 2008 and May 2009 reflecting on Vancouver’s art scene in the sixties.