Richard Grayson (artist)

Richard Grayson
Born 1958
Morecambe UK
Nationality British
Education East Herts College of Art and Design, Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic B.A. Hons Fine Art
Known for Installation, Performance art, Video art, Art Criticism and curatorial work
Notable work Messiah, The Golden Space City of God, 2002 Biennale of Sydney
Awards British Council Grant 1984, Arts Council of England project grant 2008, Artist in Residence, International Studio Programme, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin 2003-2004, Artist in Residence, Artpace, San Antonio, Texas 2009

Life and work

Richard Grayson (born 1958) is British artist, writer and curator. His art practice encompasses installation, video, painting and performance. He investigates ways that narratives shape our understandings of the world. His art and curatorial practice focus on narrative and the visual arts, belief systems and material expression, and ways cultural practices allow translation between the subjective and social/political realms.

Grayson was a founder member of the Basement Group[1](1979–1984) in Newcastle upon Tyne. The Basement group was an artists' collective that focused on experimental time based and performance art practices. It has been described as "unique in this country [the United Kingdom] in combining two functions: it is an 'exhibiting society' for a group of six artists working in time based media (mostly performance and video), and it has up to the present provided a venue for any performing artist wishing to present work [in Newcastle]." [2]

Grayon's work has been exhibited at Matt's Gallery, London;[3] SMART Project Space, Amsterdam; Art Unlimited at Art Basel 2005, Switzerland; Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; Artpace, San Antonio, Texas[4] and included in the 17th Biennale of Sydney 2010,[5] ‘THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age’ and ARSENALE 2012: The First Kiev International Biennale of Contemporary Art 2012,[6] entitled ‘The Best of Times, The Worst of Times. Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art’.

Key works include: 'Messiah'[7] , 2004, 'Intelligence'[8] , 2005, 'Ghost Houses', 2004–2007, 'The Golden Space City of God',[9] 2009, 'The Magpie Index',[10] 2010 and 'The Magic Mountain' 2013. 'The Magpie Index' is a video focusing on legendary singer-songwriter Roy Harper.

His critical writing has been published by Art Monthly, UK and Broadsheet,[11] Australia. He has written catalogue essays and monographs on Mark Wallinger, Roy Harper, Mike Nelson, Susan Hiller and Suzanne Treister.

Between 1992 and 1998, he was Director of the Experimental Art Foundation in Adelaide, Australia.

Grayson was Artistic Director of the 2002 Biennale of Sydney,[12] titled '(The World May Be) Fantastic', which investigated 'artists and practices using fictions, narratives, invented methodologies, hypotheses, subjective belief systems, modellings, fakes and experiments as a means to make works.'.[13] Writing in Art in America in October 2002, Michael Duncan said of the exhibition that it "gave free rein to complex, often offbeat works predicated on alternate realities.[14] Artists included: Mike Nelson, Chris Burden, Susan Hiller, Vito Acconci, Eleanor Antin, Henry Darger, Janet Cardiff and Rodney Graham. In an article in the Sydney Morning Herald from 17 May 2002, Bruce James describes the exhibition as "a hit".[15]

Grayson curated A Secret Service: Art, Compulsion, Concealment[16] in 2006/7, a Hayward Gallery Touring Exhibition; This Will Not Happen Without You: (Basement to Locus + 1975-2007) in 2006-2007, Arts Council of England Touring exhibition, Polytechnic[17] in 2010 for Raven Row, London, REVOLVER,[18] a series of co-collaborations with Robin Klassnik at Matt's Gallery, London in 2012 and Worlds in Collision,[19] the 3rd Adelaide International in 2014.

Grayson is currently a visiting lecturer at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford,[20] The Royal College of Art, London and holds the position of Bartlett Research Fellow at Newcastle University, UK[21]

Writing - Art Catalogues

References

  1. The Basement Group http://www.locusplus.org.uk/information/history
  2. Arnolfini Brochure from http://www.rewind.ac.uk/documents/John%20Adams/JA024.pdf
  3. His 2005 exhibit at Matt's Gallery was reviewed by Lillian Harris in The London Review in January 2005 http://glasstire.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&gtsect=Articles&gtcat=Review London Review
  4. Richard Grayson at Artpace, San Antonio, Texas http://www.artpace.org/artists_and_curators/richard-grayson
  5. 17th Biennale of Sydney 2010 http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/about-us/history/2010-2/
  6. ARSENALE 2012: The First Kiev International Biennale of Contemporary Art 2012 http://arsenale2012.com/participants/
  7. Richard Grayson, ‘Messiah’, 2004 at Matt’s Gallery, London |http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-1.php
  8. Richard Grayson, ‘Intelligence’, 2005 at Matt’s Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-2.php
  9. Richard Grayson, ‘The Golden Space City of God’, 2009 at Matt’s Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-3.php
  10. Richard Grayson, ‘The Magpie Index’ 2012 at Matt’s Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-4.php
  11. Broadsheet, published by Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia http://www.cacsa.org.au/?page_id=1369
  12. 2002 Biennale of Sydney http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/about-us/history/2002-2/
  13. 2002 Biennale of Sydney catalogue (The World May Be) Fantastic ISBN 0-9580403-0-3
  14. Michael Duncan – Report From Sydney – Critical Essay Art in America , Oct 2002
  15. Why the Biennale is a bit of a miracle (The world may be) Fantastic: Sydney Biennale 2002 Reviewed by Bruce James. 17 May 2002. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/16/1021540474378.html
  16. A Secret Service: Art, Compulsion, Concealment', Hayward Gallery Touring Exhibition 2006/7 http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/hayward-gallery-and-visual-arts/hayward-gallery-exhibitions/catalogues/a-secret-service-art-compulsion-concealment
  17. Polytechnic exhibition at Raven Row, London http://www.ravenrow.org/exhibition/polytechnic/
  18. ‘Revolver’ exhibitions at Matt’s Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/revolver/revolver.php
  19. Adelaide International: Worlds in Collison exhibition http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/2014/visual_arts/adelaide_international-worlds_in_collision
  20. Richard Grayson’s profile at Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford http://www.ruskin-sch.ox.ac.uk/people/richard_grayson
  21. Richard Grayson’s profile at Newcastle University http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sacs/staff/profile/r.m.grayson

External links