Merlin Carpenter (born 1967) is an English visual artist. Writing in

Frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

, art critic Katie Sonnenborn stated that a recent exhibition "continued his nuanced critique of the condition of contemporary art-making," and that "working within the framework of the gallery, he presented a suite of canvases that cast doubt on current systems of cultural reception and consumption."

Artistic practice

After graduating from

Saint Martins School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art school, art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's beca ...

in 1989, Carpenter has gone on to exhibit in 29 solo shows, and 48 group shows between 1989 and 2007. Carpenter's paintings can be seen as deeply ambivalent. His style is heavily influenced by artists like

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

and

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings"—with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been a ...

. Carpenter promotes in his paintings what he calls the "de-subjectivation of the brush stroke", and with this is his exploration into what he has called "overdetermined imagery" such as fashion photography. In his art Carpenter also marks out the differences and parallels between art and non-artist luxury items.

The ''Poster Studio''

In 1994 Carpenter set up an experimental art space in London named "Poster Studio" with fellow artists Dan Mitchell and

Nils Norman Life and career Early life Norman was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England in 1966 and lived there until 1979. In 1979 his parents moved to Bexhill, East Sussex. He attended Bexhill High School, Bexhill Sixth Form College and he did his Art Foun ...

, among others. Its aim was to produce a critical analysis of the contemporary London art world. The poster studio disbanded in 1996.

Art writing

Carpenter writes articles for the periodical ''Texte zur Kunst'', as well as texts for catalogues and reviews..

Exhibitions

Exhibitions include ''The Opening'', Mitterrand+Sanz/Contemporary Art, Zurich (2007); ''Relax It's Only a Bad Cosima von Bonin Show'', Galerie Bleich-Rossi, Vienna (2007) and ''Sounds of War'', Galerie Edward Mitterrand, Geneva (2005) and ''Ballard in Narnia'' (with Richard Parry). In 2011, Carpenter made an exhibition of paintings at Simon Lee Gallery, titled Tate Café. Merlin Carpenter is represented by

Reena Spaulings Fine Art Reena Spaulings is a collective project in the medium of a novel, artist persona, and institutional art gallery active from 2005 to present in New York City. The Gallery's Co-founders and Co-Directors include Carissa Rodriguez, John Kelsey and Em ...

, New York; Overdouin & Co, Los Angeles and galerie dépendance, Brussels.

References

External links