Romantic Detachment – Grizedale Arts 2004/05

In 2003 I was invited to contribute and travel with a team of international artists within the Henry Moore Foundation funded Grizedale Arts “Romantic Detachment” residency at PS1, Gallery NY. I worked and supported other artists in the residency, allowing me to work with a range of international artists, curators and makers. This formative experience was only possible due to the generosity of the director Adam Sutherland, the artists on the project and Grizedale as an institution ready to include an enthusiastic but inexperienced Fine Art graduate. I will be forever in debt to Grizedale its director for their profound influence on my career and approach to making art in the world. The Romantic Detachment exhibition was selected as the ‘Pick of the Year 2004’ in the prestigious art magazine Frieze.

//venues: PS1 MoMA, NY, Chapter Arts, Cardiff, Ikon Gallery, B’Ham // funders: Henry Moore Foundation, MoMA // artists included Olivia Plender, Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane, Garrett Phelan, Sarah Pierce, David Blandy, S Mark Gubb, Emily Wardill, William Pope L.

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/4826 | | https://www.grizedale.org/projects/romantic.detachment

Ye Olde School

I developed this performance and slide/video work over the three months in NY and Chicago. I installed and performed the work as part of the group residency show within the PS1 galleries. Following the themes of the residency I created my own romantic character ‘Ye Olde School’ breakdancer. A man obsessed with maintaining English form whilst demonstrating his devastating breaking skills. The work explored my own obsession with breakdance and Hip hop as a young white middle-class boy from Oxford.