Brad Downey
Encyclopedia
Brad Downey is an American artist. He uses film, sculpture
, painting
and drawing
to reflect on concepts about the Establishment
versus the audience
. Downey currently lives in Berlin.
master's degree
in painting and sculpture from London's Slade School of Art, where he studied under Bruce Mclean
. He grew up in a United States Marine Corps
family traversing towns across the United States, soaking up influences of diverse surroundings that would later add to his perspective. Pratt Institute
drew him to New York City in 1998, where he first cultivated his study of fine art. Stimulated by the buzz of the urbane, he sought out alternate methods for depicting his environment, deciding on a film degree for formal study.
, proved a pivotal point in his artistic endeavors. The film has been screened at over 70 venues around the world including the Institute of Contemporary Arts
in London and the Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival. It includes work by street artists such as Swoon
, Obey Giant, Revs, Nato, Desa, Ellen Harvey
, JJ Veronis, and Johnny Swing from the Rivington School
, and features music by Japanther
. Public Discourse was distributed by Video Data Bank
. Public Discourse has also compelled Downey to take an active role in front of the camera, focusing on how to use a minimalist work to enhance people's overall sensation of their surroundings.
Downey initially gained international recognition working collaboratively with Darius Jones A.K.A. Verbs (an American graffiti artist from Cincinnati, Ohio
). As a team they developed a new style of concept/image-based roller-paint graffiti and a unique illegal site-specific brand of three-dimensional sculptures, where functional traffic symbols become humanized. A novel entitled The Adventures of Darius and Downey as Told to Ed Zipco, was published by Thames and Hudson in 2008 about their collaborative work spanning from 1999 to 2005.
Downey regularly lectures about unsanctioned public artwork. He is exploring its adaptation in traditional gallery settings in London, Berlin and New York. He was named as one of the ArtReview
25 MA graduates to watch in 2005. He has been featured in The New York Times
, Creative Review
, Atlanta Journal Constitution and The Guardian
, among others. He has exhibited in venues such as Urbis
museum in Manchester
, Tate Modern
, Kunstlerhaus Bethanian in Berlin, the Basil Art Fair in Miami, the ICA
in London, and Mass MOCA in the USA, Peacock Visual Arts, in Scotland
, Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche in Osnabrück
, Kunstcentret Silkeborg Bad, in Denmark. In 2007 Downey was awarded SEEDA Arts Plus award for a commission with the Tour de France
.
In 2008, Downey sprayed green paint on the shopping windows of Berlins historical KaDeWe mall, which the owners reported to the police as an act of vandalism. However, Downey had been contracted by the Lacoste clothing brand (along with 11 other street artists) for an exhibition at KaDeWe celebrating the 75th anniversary of the brand, and he maintained that he was just fulfilling his contract. Die Tageszeitung
speculated that the incident might have been a media stunt by Lacoste.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
to reflect on concepts about the Establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
versus the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
. Downey currently lives in Berlin.
Biography
Downey earned a fine artFine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in painting and sculpture from London's Slade School of Art, where he studied under Bruce Mclean
Bruce McLean
Bruce McLean is a Scottish performance artist and painter.McLean was born in Glasgow and studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1961 to 1963, and at St Martin's School of Art, London,from 1963 to 1966...
. He grew up in a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
family traversing towns across the United States, soaking up influences of diverse surroundings that would later add to his perspective. Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
drew him to New York City in 1998, where he first cultivated his study of fine art. Stimulated by the buzz of the urbane, he sought out alternate methods for depicting his environment, deciding on a film degree for formal study.
Career
His first feature length film, Public Discourse, a documentary about street artStreet art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
, proved a pivotal point in his artistic endeavors. The film has been screened at over 70 venues around the world including the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London and the Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival. It includes work by street artists such as Swoon
Swoon (artist)
Swoon is a street artist born in New London, Connecticut, and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. She moved to New York City at age nineteen, and specializes in life-size wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts of figures...
, Obey Giant, Revs, Nato, Desa, Ellen Harvey
Ellen Harvey
Ellen Harvey is a Brooklyn based artist working in a variety of media, including painting, video, installation and performance. She is a graduate of Harvard University, Yale Law School and attended both the Whitney Independent Study Program and the PS1 National Studio Program...
, JJ Veronis, and Johnny Swing from the Rivington School
Rivington School
Rivington School was a movement that emerged from the East Village art scene in the 1980s in New York City. Most of the artists of the Rivington School were either involved in welding, forging, performance or street painting.. The group started in 1983 and named themselves after an abandoned public...
, and features music by Japanther
Japanther
Japanther is an art project, established by Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, then students at Pratt Institute. Japanther was featured in the 2006 Whitney Biennial and the 2011 Venice Biennale, and has collaborated with a diverse pool of artists such as gelitin, Penny Rimbaud, Gee Vaucher, Dan Graham,...
. Public Discourse was distributed by Video Data Bank
Video Data Bank
Video Data Bank is an international video art distribution organization and a resource in the United States for videos by and about contemporary artists...
. Public Discourse has also compelled Downey to take an active role in front of the camera, focusing on how to use a minimalist work to enhance people's overall sensation of their surroundings.
Downey initially gained international recognition working collaboratively with Darius Jones A.K.A. Verbs (an American graffiti artist from Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
). As a team they developed a new style of concept/image-based roller-paint graffiti and a unique illegal site-specific brand of three-dimensional sculptures, where functional traffic symbols become humanized. A novel entitled The Adventures of Darius and Downey as Told to Ed Zipco, was published by Thames and Hudson in 2008 about their collaborative work spanning from 1999 to 2005.
Downey regularly lectures about unsanctioned public artwork. He is exploring its adaptation in traditional gallery settings in London, Berlin and New York. He was named as one of the ArtReview
ArtReview
-Publication:ArtReview covers established and emerging artists in a mixture of international exhibition reviews, artist profiles, city art tours and artist commissions, including artist projects published as supplements to the regular edition of the magazine...
25 MA graduates to watch in 2005. He has been featured in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Creative Review
Creative Review
Creative Review is a monthly magazine targeted on the commercial arts and design scene. Creative Review has a circulation of around 20,000 readers. In general it focuses content on media originating in United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States, showcasing some of the best contemporary...
, Atlanta Journal Constitution and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, among others. He has exhibited in venues such as Urbis
Urbis
Urbis is an exhibition centre located in Manchester, England. From 2002 to 2010, the centre hosted changing exhibits on popular culture topics including urban living, art, music, fashion, photography and videogames alongside talks, gigs and special events....
museum in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
, Kunstlerhaus Bethanian in Berlin, the Basil Art Fair in Miami, the ICA
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
in London, and Mass MOCA in the USA, Peacock Visual Arts, in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche in Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
, Kunstcentret Silkeborg Bad, in Denmark. In 2007 Downey was awarded SEEDA Arts Plus award for a commission with the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
.
In 2008, Downey sprayed green paint on the shopping windows of Berlins historical KaDeWe mall, which the owners reported to the police as an act of vandalism. However, Downey had been contracted by the Lacoste clothing brand (along with 11 other street artists) for an exhibition at KaDeWe celebrating the 75th anniversary of the brand, and he maintained that he was just fulfilling his contract. Die Tageszeitung
Die tageszeitung
die tageszeitung , was founded in 1978 in Berlin. It is a cooperative-owned German daily newspaper which is administrated by a workers' self-management...
speculated that the incident might have been a media stunt by Lacoste.
Further reading
- Zipco, Ed. "The Adventures of Darius and Downey: And other True Tales of Street Art, As Told to Ed Zipco", Thames&Hudson (2008) ISBN 0500513953.
External links
- Brad Downey
- reinkingPROJEKTE
- Brad Downey in the Video Data BankVideo Data BankVideo Data Bank is an international video art distribution organization and a resource in the United States for videos by and about contemporary artists...
- Sculpture (Tour de France) on BBC
- Videos of Brad Downey: “The Studio” (2011), "House of Cards II" (2007), "Mieze" (2007)
Press
- tall bench
- heart cut
- Tip Interview(German)
- Interview with Brad Downey in Chief Magazine http://www.chiefmag.com/issues/15/features/Brad-Downey/