In Hamburg in 1999, Rhoades made a large installation, titled Perfect World, in which scaffolding supported a wooden platform punctured with large holes through which scattered material was visible below. Rhoades likened the platform to the Garden of Eden suspended precariously above Hell. These drawings are a diary of the installation and include diagrams, sketches, fantasies, and telephone numbers. The plexiglass frames are integral to the work, reflecting color onto the wall in a subtle reference to Minimalist artists Donald judd and Dan Flavin. The shoeboxes are storage devices, but they also refer to the relationship between Heaven and Hell presented in the installation: Mephisto is a brand of comfortable shoes and the name of a demonic literary character. According to Rhoades, this duality is further embodied by the idea that "if you throw things in paradise or in a perfect world away, it's creating evil."
Gallery label from Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection, April 22, 2009–January 4, 2010.
