The artwork
#Marcel Dzama #portray #sculpture #metal #surreal #wooden
March 21, 2024
Grace Ebert
“I Have Your Applause” (2024), pearlescent acrylic, ink, watercolor and graphite on paper, 54 x 40.three centimeters. All pictures courtesy of Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp-Rome, shared with permission
Whether or not working in acrylic and ink on paper or sculpting small wood sculptures, Marcel Dzama makes use of efficiency as a commanding instrument. Raised in Winnipeg earlier than transferring to Brooklyn, the artist is thought for imagining whimsical worlds that appear to emerge from an odd, even disturbing, dream.
“My drawings have been very minimal in Canada and after I first moved to New York they turned very dense with a number of characters. They have been very claustrophobic, and to carry order to the chaos of these drawings, I began placing the characters in dancing positions,” he mentioned in a 2022 interview.
In the latest exhibition titled Wild goodness at Tim Van Laere Gallery, Dzama extends this organizing precept of efficiency with dozens of work, sculptures, costumes and movies. Showcasing his distinct surrealist fashion with disturbing undertones, the works function most of the artist's recurring motifs, together with masked figures, moons with wry smiles, and anthropomorphized chess items—these are each true to scale in some sculptures and rise to rival heights with a half-grown baby in others.
Tropical and oceanic settings have knowledgeable most of the current work with rising tides encroaching on the topics. “A Music for the Queen of Nature,” for instance, depicts a disguised girl serenading one other surrounded by a menagerie of vibrant crimson birds and cats, all submerged in a small pool. Equally, in “Brilliant Starry Eyes and Brilliant Starry Sky,” a troupe of dancers in gold polka-dot leotards wade by the water, their eyes casting eerie reflections on the floor under.
From left: “Blue rook #1” (2016), metal paint and industrial enamel, 166 x 74 x 74 centimeters. “Purple Pawn #1” (2016), metal paint and industrial enamel, 123 x 47 x 47 centimeters. “Purple rook #1” (2016), metal paint and industrial enamel, 166 x 74 x 74 centimeters. “Blue pawn #2” (2016), metal paint and industrial enamel, 122 x 48 x 48 centimeters
Dzama possesses an unparalleled visible vocabulary that spans eras, geographies and cultures. Within the Wild goodness solely, his references embrace however are in no way restricted to Federico García Lorca's surrealist play Journey to the moon, the cosmos, ballet, kitsch portraiture, artists resembling Marcel Duchamp and Francisco de Goya, and a 1998 album by indie rock band Silver Jews, from which the exhibition takes its identify. Such wide-ranging influences mirror the visible density of the works, which immerse viewers within the artist's richly layered universe.
Wild goodness continues till Could 11 in Antwerp. Dzama additionally has works on view till June 9 in Kleinburg, Ontario for his solo exhibition The Ghosts of Canoe Lake on the McMichael Canadian Artwork Assortment. Discover extra on Instagram.
The Queen and Her Sq. Sister (2022), wooden, acrylic and graphite in seven elements, 28 x 47 x 24.three centimeters
'A Music for Nature's Queen' (2024), pearlescent acrylic, ink, watercolor and graphite on paper, 167.6 x 131.four cm
Brilliant starry eyes & vibrant starry skies (2024), pearlescent acrylic, ink, watercolor and graphite on paper, 132.5 x 89 centimeters
“Chess Set” (2024), wooden, acrylic, charcoal and graphite, 25 x 62.four x 62.four centimeters
Set up view “Infinity Moth” (2024), cloth, model painted on rotator, masks, costume designed by Marcel Dzama, made by Christian Pleasure, 202 x 132 x 42 centimeters
“Within the solar we really feel like one” (2023), pearlescent acrylic, ink, watercolor and graphite on paper, 31 x 101 centimeters
“There aren’t any waves, solely ocean” (2024), pearlescent acrylic, ink, watercolor, graphite and collage on paper, 22 x 31.2 centimeters
#Marcel Dzama #portray #sculpture #metal #surreal #wooden
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