defacing the street: osaka japan 16 April – 28 April, 2007
De- Facing the Street16 April – 28 April, 2007
De-Facing the street is the theme and title chosen by Shane Forrest for his solo exhibition at OU Gallery, Osaka, from the 16th to 28th April, 2007.
The title refers both to the anonymous act of ‘vandalizing’ walls and hoardings with posters and other forms of ephemeral communication such as stenciling that is commonplace in urban areas worldwide and to Forrest’s art practice of removing sections of the street posters, in the case of this exhibition particularly those containing faces, thus an act of de-facing.
Further, having de-faced the street, Forrest then ‘defaces’ the unknown and famous visages he has collected. He rips, tears, gouges and incises into these slabs made up from layers of forgotten and superseded messages in a process called decollage reminiscent of the methods invented by artists such as Raymond Hains, Mimmo Rotella and Jacques Villeglé.
Forrest’s practices are historically connected to the Nouveaux Realists (1960 -1963) and Hains’ particular “affichist” conceptual concern for engaging with the unspectacular. What distinguishes Forrest from these earlier decollage practitioners is the variety of ways he has developed and continues to develop, to interact with his chosen medium. Collaged outbreaks of floral measles encrust sections of the surface or burst through cracks and crevices, embedded lolly foil glitters from below the surface and stamped and stenciled motifs hover on the posters’ surface.
In our first world of global overconsumption, it is warming, in a heartening way, to notice the resources used by Forrest to produce these vibrant, visceral and polysemous artworks.
Jane Naylor
De-Facing the street is the theme and title chosen by Shane Forrest for his solo exhibition at OU Gallery, Osaka, from the 16th to 28th April, 2007.
The title refers both to the anonymous act of ‘vandalizing’ walls and hoardings with posters and other forms of ephemeral communication such as stenciling that is commonplace in urban areas worldwide and to Forrest’s art practice of removing sections of the street posters, in the case of this exhibition particularly those containing faces, thus an act of de-facing.
Further, having de-faced the street, Forrest then ‘defaces’ the unknown and famous visages he has collected. He rips, tears, gouges and incises into these slabs made up from layers of forgotten and superseded messages in a process called decollage reminiscent of the methods invented by artists such as Raymond Hains, Mimmo Rotella and Jacques Villeglé.
Forrest’s practices are historically connected to the Nouveaux Realists (1960 -1963) and Hains’ particular “affichist” conceptual concern for engaging with the unspectacular. What distinguishes Forrest from these earlier decollage practitioners is the variety of ways he has developed and continues to develop, to interact with his chosen medium. Collaged outbreaks of floral measles encrust sections of the surface or burst through cracks and crevices, embedded lolly foil glitters from below the surface and stamped and stenciled motifs hover on the posters’ surface.
In our first world of global overconsumption, it is warming, in a heartening way, to notice the resources used by Forrest to produce these vibrant, visceral and polysemous artworks.
Jane Naylor
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Shane Forrest solo exhibition ‘De-face’
‘De-face’ is the theme and title chosen by Shane Forrest for his solo exhibition at OU Gallery, Osaka, from 16th to 28th April [I omitted the year as it is already stated]
‘De-face’ here has two meanings. One is the act of vandalising fences and hoardings with graffiti [I omitted ‘ephemeral communication such as stencilling’ because it may not always be ‘vandalism’] or by pasting posters. The other is Forrest’s art practice of removing promotion/advertising posters and using them. In this exhibition in particular, he uses the ‘faces’ in the posters: hence ‘deface’ – destruction of the face.
Forrest removes posters, the blot on the landscape (deface), takes away the ‘faces’ from the street (deface). Then, he tears [same as ‘rips’], gouges and incises into these slabs made up from layers, thus destroying the faces (deface) of famous and unknown people [I added this to emphasise the ‘face’, while omitting ‘forgotten and superseded messages’ for the sake of simplicity]. This process is called decollage, and was begun by artists such as Raymond Hains, Mimmo Rotella and Jacques Villeglé.
Historically, his method is linked to the Nouveau Realism that occurred in France in 1960-63, particularly to Hains’s conceptual art that focuses on objects of the everyday, but Forrest’s originality is that he constantly develops the method in which he engages with his material. In his works, for example, small flowers are collaged over the faces like measles or burst through cracks, pieces of lolly foils peep through the surfaces, and stamped and stenciled motifs are applied, thus continually developing his expression.
Forrest’s art thus instinctively enlivens the material that people overlooks and disregards, and creates vibrant and polysemous artworks, which, in the developed countries in which over-consumption is the way of life, moves people in a heartwarming way.
‘De-face’ is the theme and title chosen by Shane Forrest for his solo exhibition at OU Gallery, Osaka, from 16th to 28th April [I omitted the year as it is already stated]
‘De-face’ here has two meanings. One is the act of vandalising fences and hoardings with graffiti [I omitted ‘ephemeral communication such as stencilling’ because it may not always be ‘vandalism’] or by pasting posters. The other is Forrest’s art practice of removing promotion/advertising posters and using them. In this exhibition in particular, he uses the ‘faces’ in the posters: hence ‘deface’ – destruction of the face.
Forrest removes posters, the blot on the landscape (deface), takes away the ‘faces’ from the street (deface). Then, he tears [same as ‘rips’], gouges and incises into these slabs made up from layers, thus destroying the faces (deface) of famous and unknown people [I added this to emphasise the ‘face’, while omitting ‘forgotten and superseded messages’ for the sake of simplicity]. This process is called decollage, and was begun by artists such as Raymond Hains, Mimmo Rotella and Jacques Villeglé.
Historically, his method is linked to the Nouveau Realism that occurred in France in 1960-63, particularly to Hains’s conceptual art that focuses on objects of the everyday, but Forrest’s originality is that he constantly develops the method in which he engages with his material. In his works, for example, small flowers are collaged over the faces like measles or burst through cracks, pieces of lolly foils peep through the surfaces, and stamped and stenciled motifs are applied, thus continually developing his expression.
Forrest’s art thus instinctively enlivens the material that people overlooks and disregards, and creates vibrant and polysemous artworks, which, in the developed countries in which over-consumption is the way of life, moves people in a heartwarming way.
シェーン・フォレスト個展「デフェイス」平成19年4月16-28日
「デフェイス」は、シェーン・フォレストが4月16日から28日まで大阪のギャルリ・ウーで開かれる個展のために選んだテーマとタイトルです。
「デフェイス」は二つの意味で使われています。ひとつは、世界中の都市で見られるように、塀や建設現場の囲いに落書きしたりポスターを貼ったりして街の景観を損なう行為、もうひとつは、街頭に幾重にも貼られた興行宣伝ポスターの部分を剥ぎ取って使うフォレストの制作方法です。この展覧会では特にポスターの「顔」の部分を切り取って使っているので、フェイスを破壊する、つまり「デフェイス」です。
フォレストは、景観を損なうポスターを街頭から剥ぎ取り(デフェイス)、街頭からポスターの「顔」を取り去り(デフェイス)、これらの幾重にも貼られて板状になったポスターを破り、穴を掘り、えぐる作業を通じてポスターの有名無名の顔を破壊する(デフェイス)します。この手法はデコラージュと呼ばれ、レイモンド･ハインズ、ミンモ・ロテッラ、ジャック・ヴィルグレなどが始めました。
歴史的にみると、この表現法は1960-63年にフランスでおこった新リアリズムの流れ、特に日常的なるものに焦点を当てるハインズの観念芸術につながるものですが、フォレストの作品の独自性は、彼が素材と取り組む手法を常に発展させていることにあります。フォレストの作品では、小さな花のコラージュがデコラージュされたポスターの顔を湿疹のように覆ったり、層の割れ目から飛び出したり、あるいはキャンディーの包み紙の破片がきらきらと覗いたり、判や型紙のモチーフが表面に押されたりして素材を展開させていきます。
人々に見捨てられる素材を直感的に生かし、力強く多面的な作品を生み出すフォレストのアートは、過剰消費の先進国にあって、心温まる感動を見る人に与えます。
ジェーン･ネイラー
「デフェイス」は、シェーン・フォレストが4月16日から28日まで大阪のギャルリ・ウーで開かれる個展のために選んだテーマとタイトルです。
「デフェイス」は二つの意味で使われています。ひとつは、世界中の都市で見られるように、塀や建設現場の囲いに落書きしたりポスターを貼ったりして街の景観を損なう行為、もうひとつは、街頭に幾重にも貼られた興行宣伝ポスターの部分を剥ぎ取って使うフォレストの制作方法です。この展覧会では特にポスターの「顔」の部分を切り取って使っているので、フェイスを破壊する、つまり「デフェイス」です。
フォレストは、景観を損なうポスターを街頭から剥ぎ取り(デフェイス)、街頭からポスターの「顔」を取り去り(デフェイス)、これらの幾重にも貼られて板状になったポスターを破り、穴を掘り、えぐる作業を通じてポスターの有名無名の顔を破壊する(デフェイス)します。この手法はデコラージュと呼ばれ、レイモンド･ハインズ、ミンモ・ロテッラ、ジャック・ヴィルグレなどが始めました。
歴史的にみると、この表現法は1960-63年にフランスでおこった新リアリズムの流れ、特に日常的なるものに焦点を当てるハインズの観念芸術につながるものですが、フォレストの作品の独自性は、彼が素材と取り組む手法を常に発展させていることにあります。フォレストの作品では、小さな花のコラージュがデコラージュされたポスターの顔を湿疹のように覆ったり、層の割れ目から飛び出したり、あるいはキャンディーの包み紙の破片がきらきらと覗いたり、判や型紙のモチーフが表面に押されたりして素材を展開させていきます。
人々に見捨てられる素材を直感的に生かし、力強く多面的な作品を生み出すフォレストのアートは、過剰消費の先進国にあって、心温まる感動を見る人に与えます。
ジェーン･ネイラー