Richard Grayson Messiah, 2004 (installation view)
Richard Grayson Messiah, 2004 (installation view)
Richard Grayson Messiah, 2004 (installation view)
This is the first time that Richard Grayson has shown at Matt’s Gallery and is his first solo exhibition in London. Two separate video installations, Messiah and Intelligence, will be shown consecutively, one before Christmas and one after. Richard Grayson was a founder member of the Basement Group in Newcastle upon Tyne 1979-1984, the Director of the Experimental Art Foundation Adelaide from 1992- 1998, and was the Artistic Director of the 2002 Sydney Biennale: (The World Maybe) Fantastic. He is represented in Australia by the Yuill/Crowley Gallery Sydney.
In October 2003, Richard Grayson approached the Australian Country and Western Band The Midnight Amblers to collaborate on a project re-arranging and performing the libretto to Handel’s 1742 Oratorio ‘The Messiah’. The dual projection video work Messiah is the end result. The text, written and assembled by Charles Jennens was created to support the idea that Jesus Christ was indeed the person anticipated by the Jewish prophets of the Old Testament, not an event that rendered such prophecy void. The Band has written tunes around these words that only fleetingly make reference to the original melodies – ‘The Hallelujah Chorus’ for instance – and which use instead the languages of country rock.
‘The Messiah’ holds a central place in British culture, being listened to and performed by many in choirs and events around the country. By taking the words out of the matrix of classical music, they are made strange and magical again, rather than merely a distant component of ‘high culture’. This serves to reanimate them as an expression of a supernatural belief system: one which is now shaping significant social and political policy in the United States through the Christian Right, as well as helping directly shape certain expressions of American foreign policy in the Middle East. 42% of Americans describe themselves as ‘born again’ and 82% believe in miracles. Political ideology rooted in Enlightenment ideals of rationality is being eroded and replaced by Theology. In Australia the Christian Family First party has just helped secure the return of the conservative party of John Howard. In Tony Blair Britain has one of the most overtly ‘Christian’ prime-ministers since Gladstone.
This exhibition was generously supported by The Henry Moore Foundation, Arts and Humanities Research Board, Arts Council England and Australia Council for the Arts
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Biography
Born 1958 Morecambe, England. Lives and works in London.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2014
The Golden Space City of God, Old School Room Project Space (OSR) West Coker, Somerset, UK
2012
The Magpie Index, Matt's Gallery, London;
Triumph (with Steve Wigg), Anne and Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide, Australia
2011
The Objectivist Studio Alma Enterprises London;
The Golden Space City of God Southampton City At Gallery;
Richard Grayson KunstMuseum Des Kantons Thurgau Switzerland
2010
The Magpie Index. Baltic Gallery Newcastle upon Tyne;
Richard Grayson Yuill/Crowley Gallery Sydney Australia;
Richard Grayson: A Five Year Retrospective De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill
2009
The Golden Space City of God Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, New Zealand;
The Golden Space City of God. Matt’s Gallery London.
2006
Suspicious Fires, Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney
2005
Intelligence, Matt’s Gallery, London
2004
Messiah, Matt’s Gallery, London and Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney;
The Messiah, Kunstlerhaus Gethanien, Berlin
2002
A Diary, A History, A Walk up the Hill, Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide;
Ways the World Ends, Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney
2000
Negative Space (things I don’t understand), Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney
1999
1000 accidents/Ahistoryofreading, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane;
Ahistoryofreading Artspace, Sydney
1998
A Famous Struggle/VariousThings Explained, Contemporary Art Centre, Adelaide
Selected Group Exhibitions
2013
HIS MASTER'S VOICE Von Stimme und Sprache/On Voice and Language, Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund, Germany;
Drawing Biennial, The Drawing Room, London, England
2012
The Best of Times the Worst of Times - Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art, Arsenale 2012 • The First Kyiv International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Kyiv, Ukraine;
Magpie Index, screening, Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, Scotland;
Ghosts Off The Shelf, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2011
Ffilm 3, Oriel Gelf Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Wales;
Seeing in the Dark, Circa Newcastle upon Tyne;
This is What I Do, Metro Arts Brisbane Australia;
Ffilm 3, Oriel Gelf Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Wales
2010 Sydney Biennial, Australia;
The Beauty of Distance, Film and Video, The Russian Club Gallery, London, England
2009
Curators Choice Tracy Williams Gallery New York USA ;
Choral Visual, Casa de la Cultura, Buenos Aires, Argentina;
International Artist in Residence: New Works 09.01. curated by Trevor Smith at Artpace, San Antonio, Texas
2008
Obscurum Obscurantis Tallin Arthoone, Estonia
2007
A Number of Worlds Resembling Our Own Smart Project Space, Amsterdam;
Navigations Per Forma Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin
2006
Happy Believers 7th Werkleitz Biennial, Halle Germany
2005
Art Unlimited Basel;
Project 3 CACSA Adelaide;
Electric Renaissance Culture-Centre Halle;
Gott sehen - Das Überirdische als Thema derZeitgenössischen Kunst Kunstmuseum des Kantons Thurgau, Kartause Ittingen, Switzerland
2004
Cartographies Performance Space, Sydney;
Planet B Magazin 4 Vorarlberger Kunstverein and Bregenzer Kunstverein, Bregenz
Selected Exhibitions as Curator
2014
Worlds in Collision, Adelaide International 2014, Australia
2012
REVOLVER, Matt's Gallery, London
2010
Polytechnic, Raven Row Gallery London
2007
Scary Movie Contemporary Art Centre, Adelaide
2006
This Will Not Happen Without You (Basement to Locus 1979 - 2007) (Arts Council touring exhibition) John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle and Belfast University;
A Secret Service (Hayward Gallery touring exhibition) Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill and The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester
2002
(The World May Be) Sydney Biennale, Fantastic Sydney, Australia
Bibliography
Selected Articles and Publications
2012
The Best of Times the Worst of Times Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art, David Elliot, Kiev Biennale catalogue;
What the Dickens?, Sam Sherman, Artforum;
Richard Grayson: The Magpie Index, Mark Prince, Art Monthly;
The Magpie Index, Sam Sherman, Artforum;
Roy Harper sings for the birds, Frances Morgan, BFI Sight & Sound
2011
Holy Objectionable Objectivists!, Polytechnic, Rachel Withers, Art Forum January;
Looking Back (pick of the year), Mike Sperlinger, Frieze Jan Feb;
Get away to Yesterday, Marcia E Vetrocq, Art in America Dec;
For The Untimely: Polytechnic, Denise Robinson, Camera Austria no 112;
Polytechnic, Art Papers (USA) Jan/Feb,
Don’t Miss: Polytechnic, Helen Sumpter, TimeOut 4-10 Nov;
2010
Polytechnic, Max Zoller, Art Monthly No 340 Oct;
Tips: Polytechnic, Alina Astrova, Kaleidoscope. Issue 08 Autumn;
Polytechnic Early British Video Art, Colin Perry, Sight and Sound;
Polytechnic, Francesca Gavin, Rough Version;
A Return to Content? Polytechnic at Raven Row, Melissa Gronlund, Rhizome 27 Oct;
Sculpture Center, Curator’s Notebook Polytechnic 22 Oct;
Polytechnic Where Art You? Helen Wilson blog;
Pieternel Vermoortel, Three Exhibitions in London, Metropolis M;
Polytechnic: come with us now on a journey to the 1970’s, Lauren Down, Snipe Oct;
Polytechnic, Nichola McCartney Spectator Arts Blog 17 Sept;
The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a precarious Age, David Elliot 17th Biennale of Sydney catalogue, Australia;
17th Biennale of Sydney, Peter Hill, Frieze Magazine 133 Sept;
Film and Video Russian Club, Sally O’Reilly, Art Monthly No 334 March;
Richard Grayson, Art Monthly, Pryle Behrman No 334 March;
2009
Picks of The Year: Visual Arts Golden Space City of God, Gabriel Coxhead Time Out London Christmas Edition;
ite, missa est, Boris Kremer, Broadsheet (Australia), Vol 38.3;
The Golden Space City of God at Matt’s Gallery, JJ Charlesworth, Time Out London No 2024, June 4th;
Credit Crunch Art, Waldemar Januszeck, Sunday Times 24 May.
2007
You Talking to Me? On curating Group Shows that Give you a Chance to Join the Group Ralph Rugoff, What Makes a Great Exhibition, Ed Paula Marincola, Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage;
A Secret Service, Sally O'Reilly, Art Monthly, May issue;
A Secret Service Peter Suchin, Frieze, issue 107;
Odd unnerving and utterly compelling, Kirsten Smith, The Guardian, January 27
2006
A Secret Service Robert Clark, The Guardian, September 16
2005
Modern Art: A Critical Introduction Pam Meecham & Julie Sheldon, Routledge;
Richard Grayson Gabriel Coxhead, Meta Papers;
Richard Grayson Martin Herbert, Time Out issue 63;
Messiah, Richard Grayson Peter Suchin, Art Monthly, February 2005 issue 28
2004
I am Good at Games Ed Boris Kremer essays by Ihor Holubiziky and Astrid Mania, Planet B Catalogue, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien;
2003
Ways of Saying; Reflections on the recent paintings of Maria Cruz and Richard Grayson Art and Australia, Vol 41, no 1
2002
In your dreams, HQ Magazine, May;
Why the Biennale is a bit of a miracle, Bruce James, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May;
Fietta Jarque El capital siempre determina a las biendes, El Pais, 16 Feb;
Sydney apre la Biennale: la finzione a di scena, Flash Art (Italy), April/May; 2002 Biennale of Sydney, Simon Rees, Flash Art No 225 July/Sep;
Cuts and thrust, Michael Hutak, The Bulletin 16, April;
A Fabulous Mess, Michael Hutak, The Bulletin, 4 June;
As Good as a Wink, Benjamin Genocchio, The Weekend Australian 25 May; Tate Magazine, Issue 29, Summer;
Biennale of Sydney, Jeff Gibson, Artforum, Autumn;
Fantasic Sydney Biennale, Michael Benton, Art in America, November;
Biennale of Sydney, Sotiis Kyriacou, Contemporary, June;
Fabulous-Biennale, Hannah Fink, Art Monthly (Australia), No. 151
Selected Writing (articles and catalogue essays)
2008
A Number of Disappearances, catalogue essay, Mark Wallinger;
Traceurs To Trace, catalogue essay, Layla Curtis, Chelsea Space, Aargauer Kunsthaus Switzerland;
Door Window Draw, catalogue essay for exhibition of works by Anna Barriball at Gallery Bo Bierggaard, Copenhagen, Denmark;
Lindsay Seers, SMART Papers, SMART Project Space, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Scary Movie, catalogue essay, Contemporary Art Centre SA, Australia;
Without You This Will Not Happen: (Basement to Locus 1979 to 2007), University of Sunderland Press
2006
Hexen 2039, Suzanne Treister, essay, Black Dog Publishing;
A Secret Service, Hayward Gallery
2005
Mike Nelson: Between a formula and a code, contributors Peter Eleey, Richard Grayson, Ralph Rugoff and Rob Tufnell, Turner Contemporary, Koenig Books
2004
Doubtiful: dans les plis du réel University of Rennes, catalogue essay; Qualified Survivors: A curriculum for artists, ed Paul Boneventura and Steven Farthing, Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University
2003
Ideal States James Angus Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, catalogue essay
2002
Grasshopperworlds: The World May Be Fantastic catalogue essay, Sydney Biennale;
Mike Nelson: The Deliverance and the Patience catalogue essay for Peer Trust, 49th Venice Biennale