Michael Dean
°1977, Newcastle Upon Tyne (UK) – lives and works in London (UK)
Michael Dean starts his work with writing – which he then gives physical form. He creates moulds and casts of his words, abstracting and distorting them into an alphabet of human-scale shapes, using materials that are instantly recognisable from everyday life such as concrete, steel, soil, sand and corrugated sheet metal.
Dean’s sculptures aren’t intended to be read as recognisable words, but he does want us to see an element of language in their forms – to be able to imagine a word or idea. Parts of his sculptures often resemble the human body: tongues, limbs, eyes, and casts of his family’s fists appear among the forms – directly referring to our bodies as we move through the gallery and around his works.
(courtesy of Tate, London)
Solo shows include Portikus, Frankfurt; South London Gallery, London; Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas; Extra City Kunstal, Antwerp; Kunst Forum Ludwig, Aachen; De Appel, Amsterdam; and Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London. Dean’s work was also part of group shows at venues such as Kunsthalle Wien; Tate Britain, London; Lisa Cooley, New York; Salzburger Kunstverein; and Palais de Tokyo, Paris.
Michael Dean was nominated for the 2016 Turner Prize. His work is currently on view in Muenster as part of the Skulptur Projekte.
Michael Dean is represented by the following galleries;
click through to discover more of his work.
