Talk No.8 – Conversation with Richard Deacon– British abstract sculptor/artist, winner of the Turner prize (1987).
Part 1.
in the first part of our talk with Richard Deacon, he shared with us where and how he worked at the time of the Covid, not being able to work from his studio, being confined to a different place.
He shared how a big commissioned work for the USA was realized and, what is planned with it, how he prepared and communicated via the internet for new exhibitions without being in the actual place in Berlin, China.
We also discussed “time and footprints”, and his latest solo exhibition in the Lisson Gallery, Shanghai.
At the end of part 1, Richard revealed some of the new directions of his new works that evolved in the last eighteen months.
Part 2.
In the 2nd part, we discussed Richard’s artistic approach to art, sculpture and fabrication.
He shared with us what was happening in the UK from his point of view during the pandemic and how he heard of it for the first time from his friends in China: “something is coming, and it is really bad.”
How he communicated with people and friends.
At the end of this part, Richard shares his thoughts and reflections about our recent life.
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Introduction
00:00 – 01:12
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Chapter 1.
Part 1.
01:13 – 05:42
The effects of the pandemic on the
works & process of Richard Deacon
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Part 2.
05:43 – 12:42
Project & process at the time of the Corona
– In the Air, USA
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Part 3.
12:43 – 19:54
Exhibitions
– Berlin area, Germany, China – Lisson Gallery Shanghai
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Part 4.
19:55 – 25:36
New groups of works
Plans for this new group of works
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Chapter 2.
00:18 – 11:36
Art, sculpture & fabrication
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Chapter 3.
Experiences
Part 1.
11:37 – 18:55
Corona in the UK and around
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Part 2.
18:56 – 21:30
Art community, art and
reflection
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Part 3.
21:31 – 22:57
Thoughts and reflections about the present
Links Part 1.
.
Lisson Gallery– Richard Deacon: Harbour Shanghai, 29 October 2022 – 14 January 2023
St. Bride’s Farm, Upperville, VA, U.S.A
Akademie der Künste – Richard Deacon. On the Surface
Richard Deacon
Richard Deacon is a British abstract sculptor/artist and the winner of the Turner Prize (1987), best known for his large, lyrical open forms.
He lives and works in London and working in the UK, Europe, the US, and Asia.
Deacon was born in 1948 in Bangor, Wales, UK., and trained at the Somerset College of Art in Taunton, St. Martins School of Art, Chelsea School of Art, and the Royal College of Art in London.
Deacon’s work is playful, with references to the human body and the curiosities of everyday life and with interaction with the social space.
In his sculptural work, Deacon uses a wide range of materials, including laminated plywood, concrete, stainless steel, plastics, and clay.
From an early stage in his career, he began experimenting with different media and forms of expression. Drawing and writing quickly became an integral part of his artistic method and are central to his performance documentation.
His work seems initially abstract at times; the sculptures’ forms billow, churn, and ripple, approximating the anatomical, suggesting recognizable or organic shapes to the viewer without ever collapsing completely into the already familiar.
In his sculptural work, Deacon uses a wide range of materials, including:
Deacon is the recipient of the 1987 Turner Prize and was made Commander of the British Empire in 1996. In 2017, he was awarded the Ernst Franz Vogelmann-Preis für Skulptur. In 2004, he was awarded the Will-Grohmann-Preis. In 1997, he was awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the Ministry of Culture in France, and in 1998 was elected a Royal Academician. The Akademie der Künste in Berlin elected him a member in 2010.
Alongside numerous solo exhibitions in museums in Europe, the US, and Asia, he has participated in many of the most significant survey exhibitions, Including the Skulptur Projekte Münster (1987), Carnegie International (1991), Documenta 9, Kassel (1992), Biennale de Venezia (Welsh pavilion) (2007), Wuzhen International Contemporary Art Exhinbition in Wuzhen, China (2016).
Recent solo exhibitions include the New Art Centre, Salisbury (2021), Kurt Tucholsky Literaturmusem, Schloss Rheinsberg (2021), Prague City Gallery (2017), Middelheimmuseum (2017), San Diego Museum of Fine Art (2017), Langen Foundation and Skulpturenhalle Thomas Schütte in Neuss (2016), Museum Folkwang (2016), Kunstmuseum Winterthur (2015), Tate Britain (2014), University of New Mexico Art Museum (2011), and Sprengel Museum (2011). Recent group exhibitions include Creative Folkestone Triennial 2021, Folkestone, UK, Fundación Bancaja, Valencia (2021), National Museum of Art, Cardiff, Wales (2017).
He has held professorships and taught at different institutions and Academies in the UK, Europe, the US and China. After 38 years he retired from teaching in 2017, his final appointment being as Professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf – ‘a beautiful place to finish, he says’.
Photos: © Richard Deacon Studio, John D. Adams, Talk No.8, part 1,2: Richard Deacon: Time & Footprints, Amit Goffer Studio, 2023