Short Bio
British born Dallas, TX based Artist with an interest in Signs of Safety - www.cpdeanart.com
Statement
The Universal: My practice is an investigation into the relationships developed between humans and objects. Through this focus, I utilise a range of processes and materials to construct work, including sculpture, painting, textiles, language and digital media, that disrupt the preconceived frameworks of human/object interaction.
The Particular: For several years I have dedicated my practice to exploring universally utilised signs associated with standardised accident prevention. Readymade Signs of Safety employ various surface textures, bold colours and repeated patterns as a means to demarcate zones, create order, assist in navigation and alert us to potential hazards. When considering the abundance of warning signs we experience, and the advice to keep our distance, I aim to provide an alternative existence for materials and objects that assist in sharing the messages of caution. To my mind, experiencing a sign of safety is akin to experiencing a work of Art - a moment in which the overarching and persistent sensation is that of being acutely aware of my body in relation to both the object(s) and the shared space(s). It is within the landscape of my practice, a place where the uses of the aesthetic language of safety has been decontextualised from its primary purpose, that signs of safety not only encourage discovery at close proximity but also function as an alert to the viewer of their proximity to Art.
Biography
Christopher Paul Dean was born an hour north of London in Milton Keynes, England. Dean has an Undergraduate Degree in Contemporary Applied Arts from the University of Hertfordshire (England), and a Masters Degree in Sculpture from The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. Since 2010 Dean has worked as an Artist Assistant in Denmark (Folk Art School, Holbæk), Detroit (Cranbrook Academy of Art), Atlanta and Mexico (U.S Consulate, Monterrey). As well as managing his own studio in Dallas, TX, Dean is also lead assistant to multimedia Artist Gabriel Dawe. Dean has exhibited in numerous locations including London, NYC, Dallas, multiple locations in GA and in 2017 showed work at UNTITLED as part of SCAD at Art Basel Miami Beach. In 2020, Dean was awarded a commission for a large-scale installation to be on permanent display at Georgia Tech Campus Safety Building.
Resume / CV
Education
2014/16 - MFA., Sculpture, Savannah College of Art & Design, USA
2007/2010 - BA., Contemporary Applied Arts, University of Hertfordshire, UK
2005/2007 - National Diploma., Art and Design, Milton Keynes College, UK
ExhibitionsGROUP
2022 -BUILDING DREAMS, b-space ART HOUSE, New Braunfels, TX
2021 -RE: PLAY, The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, Highlands, NC2020Hot and Sweaty
2020 - 500x Gallery Virtual Exhibition, http://www.500x.org/hotandsweaty2020
-HYPOTHETICAL FUNCTION, as part of SCAD deFINE ART 2020, Gutstein Gallery, Savannah, GA
SOLO
2019 - RECONFIGURED, Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas, Dallas, TX
GROUP
2019 -Treat America Project, Treat Gallery, NY
2018 - Bread & Butter, Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas, Dallas, TX
2017- UNTITLED, SCAD at Art Basel Miami Beach, FL
BANK See, Different Trains Gallery 2 at Cornerstone Bank, Decatur, GA
ColorTheory, Trio Contemporary Gallery, Athens, GA
SOLO
2016 - FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER, Studio 900, Atlanta, GA
GROUP
2015 - OSNY Artist Showcase, Manhattan, NY
Error As Architecture:A Study of Play and Happenstance, Jazz Gallery, Milwaukee
J1, ( Juried By Michael Rooks, Curator at The HIGH ), ATHICA, Athens, GA
Phase.III, Mammal Gallery, Atlanta, GAFRESH! ( Juried Show ), JanKossen Contemporary, NY
Phase.II, Matre Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Phase.I, Matre Gallery, Atlanta, GA
ART18, Gallery L1, Atlanta, GA
PAINTING, The LOWMuseum, Atlanta, GA
Work Experience
2018/present - Lead Studio Assistant (Gabriel Dawe), TX
2017/18 - Gallery Assistant, Pryor Fine Art, GA
2016/16 - Gallery Assistant, Kai-Lin Art Gallery, GA
2016/16 - Artist Assistant (Bojana Ginn), GA
2014/14 - Artist Assistant (Gabriel Dawe), U.S Consulate, Monterrey, Mexico
2012/14 - Art Handler, SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA
2011/11 - Artist Assistant (Anders Ruhwald), Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills
2010/10 - Artist Assistant (Christin Johansson), Folk Art School, Holbæk, Denmark
Scholarships/Grants/Awards
2015 - School of Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship, Independent Donor
2014 - School of Fine Arts Endowed Scholarship, Independent Donor
2014/16 - Honors Graduate Scholarship + Student Opportunity Grant for Low-Income Families
2007/10 - Academic Achievement Scholarships + Student Opportunity Grants for Low-Income Families
2005/2007 - Full Scholarship, awarded to students from Low-Income Families, Private Donor
Press
Georgia Tech Installation: Art Installation Unveiled at GTPD HeadquartersSafety Tape InstallationArt Installation at GTPD
2020 - The Dallas Contemporary - #dcfromhome - programming, In Conversation with Senior Curator Laurie Anne Farrell:https://www.dallascontemporary.org/christopher-dean
Looking At Painting, Vol. 2, Feature: One Artist, One Work
Studio Visit, Vol.32, Guest Juror Mary M. Tinti, Curator at The Fitchburg Museum
Collections
Numerous Private Collections
SCAD Permanent Collection
Georgia Tech Permanent Collection
Shield Mark Inc. Permanent Collection
