New work by Marcel Vidal
September 2013
Basic Space, Dublin
In this installation Marcel Vidal creates a series of new paintings housed in a massive inverted structure in the Basic Space workshop. Vidal’s presents contemporary cultural artifacts that at once critique the aura of celebrity and lavish in it simultaneously
Dealing with the politics of celebrity and using a multifaceted mix of found images, Vidal’s sources of inspiration include the Tumblr Famous, Trap music, Instagram selfies, Tween internet culture, and Native Americans. These are skillfully worked into a concise visual language with oil paint and watercolour. Then housed by a complex, yet self-contained construction that you can walk into. A functional sculpture slash gallery within Basic Space to display Vidal’s work, blurring the boundaries between sculpture, White Cube and two dimensional works.
In BFF* Vidal works at once as a fan artist and as detractor by both reifing the ephemeral and cheapening the cheap. This duel concept of preservation/corrosion further takes shape through Vidal’s use of ‘display’ in his construction. The disconnections and reassembly are also highlighted by siting the installation in the workshop of Basic Space, allowing for challenges to contemporary cultural and art world values.
Marcel Vidal was born in 1986, in Dublin, Ireland. He earned his BA in Fine Art Painting from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, 2009. Solo exhibitions include “05:09:12” nag space, Dublin, 2012, and ProveRommet, Bergen Kjott, Norway, 2012. Recent group exhibitions include “WORK HEAD” NCAD Gallery, Dublin, 2012, “Pencil to the Plough” curated by Mark St. John Ellis, Cross Gallery, Dublin, 2011, “Imposing Nature” Monster Truck Gallery, Dublin, 2010, “Something tells me its all happening at the zoo” curated by Davey Moor, Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, Dublin, 2010. He was awarded the Wicklow County Artist Bursary 2012, the Thomas Dammann Junior Memorial Trust Award, 2012, USF Verftet residency, Bergen, Norway (supported by The Council of Bergen and the Stiftelsen Kulturhust USF) 2012, the Royal Hibernian Academy studio residency, Dublin, Ireland, 2011, and the K&M Evans painting prize (awarded for entry to RHA annual, 2010), Sluice Art Fair in London, 2013.
www.marcelvidal.ie
Read Billion Journal’s October review of ‘#untitled’, Diamond in the Rough
*Originally titled BFF. According to urbandictionary.com BFF is an acronym for:
1) Best Friends Forever
2) Big Fat Fuck
3) As seen on an episode of 30 rock. BFF stands for “butt fucking festival”
4) The ultimate sex routine: (1) Blowjob, (2) Fuck, and (3) Facial.
5) Brush, Floss, and Fluoride
etc.
