Personally Political

This is the invite for Personally Political, Contemporary Sensation, a show that I will be involved in Berlin at the Kunsthaus Tacheles, curated by Barbara Fragogna, Here is short blurb on the show... "Is the artist’s work Political even if it is Personal?

What is Personal and what is Political?
Aren’t they as well an expression, explanation, and reflection of the contemporary?
Again, what is contemporary? Hasn’t art always been contemporary?
Aren’t we all contemporary, being alive now, in a specific society, culture, epoque and environment?"

The opening is the 26th of June so anyone in the neighborhood of Berlin is obliged to show up.
Tacheles, the legendary Berlin squat, alternative culture factory or however you'd like to descreibe it, from the backside.


Ain image from the evening of the opening

Go Figure....

Series of Fifteen Quasi Identical Figures, Steel, cardboard, paint, 48cm x 24cm each unit, 2009

Figure, steel, etc.., 48cm without signage, 2009

This is a new series of 15 figures that I am working on. It falls in line with my earlier piece "Stay on Message". Working in a series allows me to discover the process involved in producing multiples (mindnumbing) which is something that I have never done. Even though the original drawing of the figure is the same because they are made by hand they still have each one their own individual differences. In the end they will also be adorned by other materials, some painted, some not, as well as signage that will make them different from one another. I am currently taking suggestions on what to put on the signage from anyone who cares to offer ideas. It can be text, an image or even an obeject, and can be any laguage or alphabet with a wink to musical notes and mathematical equations. Thesigns normally carry proclamations/declarations of love, fear, social injustice, hate etc... Sometimes just the will to communicate is enough. So if you have an idea please feel free to send it to me. I will be posting more images as I have them.

Something for Everyone

Something For Everyone, Steel, bright red Rayon fibers, adhesive, 350cm x 120cm x 5cm, 2009

A young Kalashnikov at the drawing board


I've had this image in my head for awhile and the more I researched it the more engaging the project became for me. More than a few years back I did a large handgun and was always surprised at the variety of responses that I received, beyond the standard positive/negative people would really just sit there and reflect on what it meant to them. The majority found it disturbing, I did as well. It was and is a potent symbol.

Something for Everyone, Steel, 350cm x 104cm, 2009

Something for Everyone (detail), Steel, 350cm x 104cm, 2009

The Kalashnikov or AK-47 (standing for Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947) was invented by Mikhail Kalashnikov and has had what could be considered an illustrious trajectory in becoming first the standard issue rifle for the Russian military and then exported en masse to cold war battlegrounds in the middle east and especially Africa. In some countries, Mozambique for example, it is seen as a key element in their struggle against colonialism and imperialism and was even adopted as an image on their flag on May 1st 1983 (Recent years have seen a sharp debate to have it removed). Kalashnikov has been quoted that he is proud that for many his invention is synonymous with liberty, he has also stated that it was Germany's fault that he became a fabricator of arms otherwise he would have happily stayed and agricultural engineer which was what he was previous to being drafted into the Red Army during WWII. A few interesting facts about General Kalashnikov on his Wiki profile here.
As for the name I've given the piece, Something for Everyone, it has to do with this type of work which i feel leaves no one indifferent. I start with concern/interest in the composition of the object but ultimately am also aware of it's socio-political as well as historic significance. As far as scale is concerned I was due for a big one. This piece should not be confused as a pro arms stance or celebration of the arm itself but more an opportunity for reflection.

Flocking

Some new tools to explore

As you can see the Kalashnikov is destined to be a 3.5m bright red fuzzy Kalashnikov. Quite a process.

Taking in the Laundry

Taking in the Laundry, painted steel, 140cm x 90cm, 2009

New Corkscrew

New work made for Alex Goerke and recently installed in his Flat. Harks back to the older more iconic images that I was working with a few years back.

Corkscrew II, Steel, 166cm x 53cm, 2009

Sketches....

Star Power and Raising Pooh

Three new small figures that are a part of a larger series where I'm investigating new materials and techniques most prominently the process of flocking which is completely new to me but quite fun and super kitsch. The two figures on the left and the right are employing this technique.

1. Star Power: Sarah with Hanky, Steel, Fabric, flocking dust, 45cm x 4cm, 2008
2.Alex Raising Pooh!, Steel, Doll, 45cm x 4cm, 2008

3.Star Power: Maiken with Hanky, Steel, Fabric, flocking dust, 45cm x 4cm, 2008

Star Power: Maiken with Hanky(Detail)

Here you can see a bit better the texture flocking leaves, in the end it is not unlike felt to the touch and is supposedly weather proof. Not sure where this is leading but I'm liking working with texture and color.

5 of 5!

And Finally painted, there is still some investigation to do with the signs but for the moment it will stay this way.



We Know what you're thinking, Steel, wood, 140cm x 102cm, 2009

The latest.... One more to go.

These are the first three figures of a new piece involving five figures that I'm currently busy with. In the end with all five figures the signs will form a sentence when read in sequence. Can anyone guess what the last two signs will have on them??? As of yet the pieces are not painted or clean and the color of the signs and fonts to be used are also still to be determined so stay posted... Now off to ARCO!

Funny That... Art imitates life etc...

Le Monde Diplomatique, January 2009 edition

In November I did a piece entitled "Relief" (see below) of a figure reading a copy of the La Vanguardia newspaper, the local daily here in Catalunya, of the day that Obama won the elections back in the good ole US of A. Over the holidays an art director from the esteemed (re. very serious as I've been told by a french friend), Le Monde Diplomatique got in touch with me about using the image in their January edition. Being the the slave to any form of publicity I can muster I readily agreed and lo and behold what arrived in the mail today. I'm well pleased and find it ironic that a piece that I did of a fellow reading a newspaper ends up in a newspaper.

LOST Property: Granny walking through the Hood, Nick Waving his Hanky and other things you might catch in the neighborhood

Nick waving that hanky

Skepticism

New series, Kinda speaks for itself....

Relief.....

Relief...(no.1), Steel, Photo, 44cmx12cm, 2008 (Photo by Guy Freeman)

On November 4th, I as well as millions of other citizens of the earth breathed a collective sigh of relief as the door closed on what has been one of the darkest periods of my countries history and also one of the darkest periods of american influence on the rest of the globe. In my memory and as a keen student of history rarely have such a small band of individuals wielded so recklessly the positions of power they found themselves in. I am now collecting material from friends across the globe reading the headlines of their domestic newspapers of the announcement of the victory of Barack Obama as the new president of the United States. This project is a reflection of what i feel was a global sense of renewal and good will that greeted the election of our new president. More to come. If any of you reading this have newspapers from that day and would like to submit a photo to be realized in steel for this project feel free to contact me at plantlife@telefonica.net.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Living with Ghosts, Steel, Cloth, Dimensions variable, work in progress, 2008

Detail

Stay on Message

Stay on Message, Steel, mixed media, 200cm x 200cm, 2008

Finally!!!! I have the bulk of the piece done, 40 some figures in all and it's quite a presence. Some 6 months since the initiation of the piece.

Still growing! I promised more and this is the latest incarnation of the piece "Stay on Message". Even more will follow...

Ok, you can see it's beginning to take shape. The final destination will be a circle 2 meters in Diameter. If you look closely a faint purple line drawn on the wall is visible which marks the dimensions of the finished project.

Stay on Mesaage is an ongoing project that I am working on that as of yet is unresolved. The project is basically made up of people that are holding signs that convey certain messages. The idea is either to make a multitude of small individual figures or to actually bind a number of them together to make one larger piece. As of now I have made quite a few, here are a smattering. More to come...

Lovely Rita....

Now that's a big Baby!, Steel, 147cm x 87cm, 2008

A portrait of the child of some friends (Rita being her name), something riveting about the naturalness and ease inherent in the body language of children. Blowing it up in scale gives it a super presence in interior spaces, more on this piece later.

The after from the before...

The After from the Before, Steel, Cloth Doll (Made by Melkorka Reynisdottir), 120cm x 95cm, 2008


This piece was done as a commission from a client that had seen the piece "Fun on the playground". For me it was interesting to investigate the same theme but from the standpoint of a grown up as opposed to a child. The result is at once melancholy and nostalgic.

Never let them make you feel like a Clown

Never let them make you feel like a Clown, Mixed media, video, 90cm x 55cm x 50cm, 2008

We've all had humiliating experiences with customer service whether it be in person or on the phone. I always end up wanting to throw myself or someone else off a bridge. This piece is my homage to the experience.

Kenny just might be Illuminated...

Kenny just might be Illuminated, Mixed media, 56cm x 24cm x 7cm, 2008
A small piece that I improvised a bit with. These later pieces where I am incorporating more found objects and so on are a great opportunity for me to let my imagination run wild. Normally I see an image and it changes very little in the realization, with these works the piece realized in steel becomes the canvas as opposed to the finished piece.

Max at his father's table

Max at his Father's Table, Steel, glass carafe, 193cm x 145cm x 4cm, 2008


This is a piece that I had been wanting to do for awhile. Initially i had wanted three figures but in the end stayed with one. The subject is a friend Max Zinnecker at what he considers "The only piece of furniture that has any value to me that I own...". It's a table that was his father's when he was a student.

Start @ Zaum Projects in Lisbon

I'm involved in a great new project/gallery of Stefanie Santa and Miguel Duarte in Lisbon called Zaum Projects. Their inaugural exhibition will be held on the 16th of May. The opening group show "Start" presents the works of the artists of the gallery. The 400m2 of new exhibiting space will host artworks by Ana Rito, Caitlin Masley, Carlos & Jason Sanchez, Catarina Lira Pereira, Erik Geschke, Frank Plant, Gabriel Colaço, Gilberto Colaço, Isabel Baraona, Jeff Eisenberg, Jeremy Mora, Katrin Korfmann, Maya Schindler, Michelle Forsyth, Samuele Belloni and UIU.

We're all so complicated....

In the end we're all complicated, Steel, Mixed Media, 57cm x 52cm (for the moment), 2008

Going back to my roots in using found materials and other objects to flesh out an idea. After working so graphically for so long it's a joy to involve some other materials. More on the content later.

New Show in May: Frank Plant @ Galeria Contrast

On the 15th of May I will be having the Inauguration of a solo exhibit here in Barcelona. Anyone who reads this within a 300km radius will be obliged to come. More to come.

Collective Ennui

Seeing as lately I am very interested in documenting social dynamics and relationships in my work it was just a matter of time before the group of students I work with at Metafora Tallers International fell prey to one of my pieces. The original material was taken last December at a meeting planning their end of term show. I decided to paint it white as I'm also interested in investigating how a piece fits in it's environment as well as the level of protaganism it has. The white pieces are much more subtle and the viewer has to work more for it's appreciation, the role of the shadows also becomes more important. This piece also goes a long way in showing just how much the wall above my couch needs a coat of paint... More detailed pictures shortly.

The Artist takes a Fall

This piece is a reflection on my current tendency as an artist to pontificate or preach. It is also an opportunity to think about the fine line that sometimes separates or not art and propaganda/ideology.

The Artist Falls Off His Soapbox, Steel, 102cm x 54cm, 2008

Paperless Marks @ Galeria ADN

On March 27th I will be involved in a group show at ADN galeria

Room 1: Paperless Marks: A. Benchamma, J. Galdón, F. Noguera, F. Plant, Qubo Gas, M. Quintana
Room 2: Federico Solmi The Evil Empire
Opening: Thursday 27th of March 2008 at 7.30 p.m.

Closing: Saturday 3rd of May 2008
Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10h-14h/16h-20h and Saturday, 11h-14h/17h-20h30

c/ Enric Granados, 49, bj, 08008 Barcelona ▪ T +34 93 451 00 64 – info@adngaleria.com
For further information and hi-res images, please contact: Susanna CorchiaRRPP – e-mail: info@adngaleria.com, T: +34 934510064

Paperless Marks

Abdelkader Benchamma, Jesús Galdón, Fleur Noguera, Frank Plant, Qubo Gas, Marc Quintana
Five artists and one group are meeting together to show new proposals connected with the expanded notion of drawing. During their artistic growth, each they has been developing productions related to drawing, painting, animation or illustration and has been facing several aspects of this technique. Two are the main vectors motivating this exhibition: on the one hand, all the works belong to drawing realm although without the use of paper; on the other hand, works disclose a consideration about landscape and staging, both natural and abstract, human or urban.

The same title of the show enhances this real conceptual and technical challenge: a stimulation toward the investigation of expressive and creative ways, typical of the fresh and open moment which contemporary art is enjoying.

One day you too can work in Advertising!!!

One Day You too Can Work In Advertising, Steel, Old Socks, 105cm x 94cm, 2008

A new piece touching on a the idea of another aggravation that humans are subjected to on a daily basis. I'll let you determine what that is.