Brian Alfred, Yayoi Kusama (Animated portrait) 2007, Video Projection, © Brian Alfred 2007. |
Here's to the Bright and Shining Creative Influences Who Will Never Die |
Brian Alfred, Bob Marley, 2006-7, Acrylic on canvas, 22.9 x 30.5 cm, © Brian Alfred 2007.
Brian Alfred, Tigarah, 2006-7, Acrylic on canvas, 22.9 x 30.5 cm, © Brian Alfred 2007.
Brian Alfred, Cory Arcangel, 2006-7, Acrylic on canvas, 22.9 x 30.5 cm, © Brian Alfred 2007. |
Haunch of Venison Berlin Alfred (born 1974) presents an ambitious new project: Millions Now Living Will Never Die!!! maps the many and diverse creative influences that act upon the artist in the form of 333 portraits of musicians, artists, actors, writers and politicians, a series of animated portraits and a ‘mash up’ soundtrack. The project proposes that personal creativity can be understood as a potentially open and affective process, as the chain of influence extends from artist to artist, from generation to generation. Many of the subjects of Alfred’s portraits are famous figures who have profoundly affected contemporary culture — as well as Alfred’s own practice — including Pop artists Andy Warhol and James Rosenquist, and musicians Miles Davis and Bob Marley. Equally, a number of the portraits represent members of the experimental art and music scenes, such as Squarepusher or Kid 606, figures known only to a select audience. Alfred’s friends and family are also featured. Some of these people have provided rich and enduring inspiration for the artist; others represent fleeting moments that are nonetheless important. The project thus provides a map or index of Alfred’s creative development, and can even be understood as a form of expanded self-portraiture. “For this project, I have created portraits of over 300 people who have, over the course of my time working in my studio, had an impact on me in some way or another. Many artists, musicians, writers, politicians, architects, entertainers, etc. have affected my creative thought process in ways which do not necessarily make a visual mark on my work. Many times people assume your influences are those who share a close visual aesthetic to your work. This was a way for me to infuse my work with the people who have enriched my life over the years.” Millions Now Living Will Never Die!!! represents a significant departure from Alfred’s previous practice. Alfred is best known for paintings, collages and animations which examine the ways in which our perception of our surroundings and culture is mediated by technology, presenting a flattened, depopulated and predominantly urban world derived from found images. His thematic concerns — including conspiracy theories and the growing prevalence of surveillance in the post-9/11 world — have led him to focus on architecture, machinery, interiors and landscapes at the expense of the individual. In Millions Now Living Will Never Die!!! the creative individual within society is the focus. Brian Alfred lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. He has exhibited widely internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo (2007), Haunch of Venison, Zurich (2006), Mary Boone Gallery, New York (2005, 2006), Haunch of Venison, London (2005), Phoenix Art Museum (2004), Sandroni Rey Gallery, Los Angeles (2003), and Max Protech Gallery, New York (2000, 2002, and 2004). He was recently included in System Error: War is a Force that gives us Meaning at the Palazzo delle Papesse, Siena (2007), Shapes of Space at the Guggenheim, New York (2007), Radar — Selections from the Kent and Vicki Logan Collection, Denver Art \Museum (2006) and Metropolis at The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2004). Alfred's work is included in many important collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Brian Alfred, Spike Lee, 2006-2007..
Brian Alfred, Mai Ueda, 2006-7, Acrylic on canvas, 22.9 x 30.5 cm, © Brian Alfred, 2007. |
Brian Alfred, Promise, 2004, Paper, 23.5 x 30.5 cm, © Brian Alfred. |
Brian Alfred, Diego, 2009, Acrylic on canvas, 90.07 x 74.07", © Brian Alfred 2009. |
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Brian Alfred's Markers along the Highway to a Global Future |
Brian Alfred, Riot!, 2009, Mixed media on paper, 10.75 x 9.88", © Brian Alfred 2009.
Brian Alfred, Night March, 2009, Acrylic on canvas, 72.06 x 88.06", © Brian Alfred 2009.
Brian Alfred, Flags at Sunset, 2009, Mixed media on paper, 11 x 14", © Brian Alfred 2009.
Brian Alfred, Angela, 2009, Mixed media on paper, 10.13 x 7.5", © Brian Alfred 2009. |
Haunch of Venison New York Brian Alfred's new body of work comments on how our perception of the world is altered by the ubiquity of information. His paintings and animations explore how the world has changed through the use of new media technology and in particular the visual manifestation of information, shared and disseminated throughout popular culture. Haunch of Venison New York presents It's Already the End of the World, a solo exhibition of new work by Brooklyn artist Brian Alfred. The show features 14 new paintings, collage works, and a major new video work. Alfred'?s work is inspired by his interest in globalization, civil unrest, political and social opposition, and influential figures and locations. The animation features multiple soundtracks by musicians Flying Lotus, Ghislain Poirier, Roberto Carlos Lange, and many others. The exhibition features both portraiture, such as Aung Sun Suu Kyi (2009), the democratic leader of Burma, and landscape, such as Attica (2009), an imagined scene of the 1971 prison riot in New York. The images in the exhibition have a connection to these people or places that have a relationship to power, influence and conflict. For the viewer, Alfred?'s works recreate the same powerful hold as the images witnessed everyday in the media. Brian Alfred has had numerous solo exhibitions both nationally and internationally, including: Studio La Citta, Verona (2009); Haunch of Venison, Berlin (2008); SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo (2007); Haunch of Venison, Zurich (2006); Haunch of Venison, London (2005); and, Phoenix Art Museum (2004). His work is part of the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Guggenheim Museum; Albright-Knox Art Gallery; Denver Art Museum; National Gallery of Victoria, Australia; and, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A fully illustrated catalog and DVD accompany this exhibition.
Brian Alfred, Aung Suu Kyi, 2009, Acrylic on canvas, 80 x 70", © Brian Alfred 2009.
Brian Alfred. Sawako. Paper collage. 2007. 22.9 x 30.5 cm.
Brian Alfred, Aloe Blacc, 2006-7, Acrylic on canvas, 22.9 x 30.5 cm. © Brian Alfred. Courtesy Haunch of Venison. |
Brian Alfred, Missle Strike, 2009, Mixed media on paper, 9 x 11.88", © Brian Alfred 2009. |
