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;
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works by Michael Dean
from the journal
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Our highlights from Skulptur Projekte Münster
After 40 years, 2017 sees the fifth edition of Skulptur Projekte Muenster. No other art happening has a ...
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Ten things you shouldn't miss during Frieze Week in London
London's art fair Frieze is opening later this week. With countless international collectors, curators and other art world professionals visiting London for the week, the city's institutions all open their new exhibitions, marking the beginning of London's new exhibition season ...
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Michael Dean: Sic Glyphs at South London Gallery
Michael Dean is creating an evolving language based on typographical alphabets, but deliberately declines to offer an accompanying dictionary. Dean’s explicit intention is for it to matter that it’s you who walks in through the door: that you are so much more than the reader of his text ...